A Malawi gay couple have been convicted of having a criminal relationship and could face up to 14 years in jail under the country’s colonial-era laws.
They were found guilty of unnatural acts and gross indecency after a trial that drew worldwide condemnation.
Steven Monjeza (26) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga (20) have been in jail since their arrest on December 27th, the day they celebrated their engagement with a party that drew crowds of curious, jeering onlookers.
"The state has proven beyond reasonable doubt that these gentlemen had sex despite them being male, which is against the law of Malawi," Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa today in a court in the commercial capital, Blantyre.
Sentencing will take place on Thursday.
Hearings in the trial also have drawn Malawians who have ridiculed the couple, an indication of views on homosexuality in the traditional society - and elsewhere in Africa.
Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries on the continent. In Uganda, MPs are considering a bill that would sentence homosexuals to life in prison and include capital punishment for “repeat offenders.”
Even in South Africa, the only African country that recognises gay rights, gangs have carried out so-called “corrective” rapes on lesbians.
Malawi’s government has been defiant in the face of international criticism over the prosecution. Months before the verdict, information minister Leckford Mwanza Thoto said it was clear the two had broken the law.
Church leaders have backed the government, saying homosexuality is “sinful” and the West should not be allowed to use its financial power to force Malawi to accept homosexuality. Malawi relies on donors for 40 per cent of its development budget.
Reuters