Malawi Leader Pardons Jailed Gay Couple

He orders their immediate release

By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Suggested by Disillusioned

Posted May 29, 2010 10:26 AM CDT

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Malawi Leader Pardons Jailed Gay Couple — Tiwonge Chimbalanga, right, and Steven Monjeza, left back, are led from court in Blantyre, Malawi, on May 20. (AP Photo/Alex Ntonya)

Malawi's president says he has pardoned and ordered the release of a jailed gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison. President Bingu wa Mutharika made the announcement today during a press conference with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe, the capital. A judge earlier this month convicted and sentenced Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza on charges of unnatural acts and gross indecency, both colonial-era laws.

The two were arrested in December, a day after they celebrated their engagement. The case has drawn international condemnation and sparked a debate on human rights in this conservative southern African country. Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa, including Malawi.

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