Malawi court finds lovers guilty of `gross indecency'
Chicago, IL -
In December, 26-year-old Steven Monjeza and 20-year-old Tiwonge Chimbalanga bravely declared their love at Malawi's first-ever publicly acknowledged gay engagement party.
Two days later they were thrown in jail, and on Tuesday they were convicted of acts of gross indecency. The men are now facing a possible sentence of 14 years of hard labor.
"I have done nothing wrong but fall in love and declare this love for my husband," Chimbalanga told the New York Times in February.
The verdict might lead to financial problems for the entire country, since Western nations have been united in condemnation. Malawi gets about 40 percent of their development budget from the west.
However, within Malawi the verdict finds universal support, starting with the couple's own families.
"We as a family have been terribly embarrassed to be associated with this gay thing," Monjeza's aunt Zione Monjeza told the Guardian. "It's a curse and a big shame. We will chase them away if they are freed."
"I won't drop a tear if they are jailed – they deserve it," said Nchiteni Monjeza, Monjeza's uncle.
Gay sex is illegal in 37 African countries and a recent Pew research poll conducted in a few of those countries found 98 percent of respondents opposed to it.
Two days later they were thrown in jail, and on Tuesday they were convicted of acts of gross indecency. The men are now facing a possible sentence of 14 years of hard labor.
"I have done nothing wrong but fall in love and declare this love for my husband," Chimbalanga told the New York Times in February.
The verdict might lead to financial problems for the entire country, since Western nations have been united in condemnation. Malawi gets about 40 percent of their development budget from the west.
However, within Malawi the verdict finds universal support, starting with the couple's own families.
"We as a family have been terribly embarrassed to be associated with this gay thing," Monjeza's aunt Zione Monjeza told the Guardian. "It's a curse and a big shame. We will chase them away if they are freed."
"I won't drop a tear if they are jailed – they deserve it," said Nchiteni Monjeza, Monjeza's uncle.
Gay sex is illegal in 37 African countries and a recent Pew research poll conducted in a few of those countries found 98 percent of respondents opposed to it.
