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Malawi Court Convicts Gay Couple

   VOA News 18 May 2010

   A  court in Malawi has convicted a gay couple of "gross indecency" and
   unnatural acts.
   Magistrate  Nyakwawa  Usiwa  announced the verdict Tuesday in Malawi's
   commercial capital, Blantyre.
   He  said the two men, Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, and Steven Monjeza, 26,
   will be sentenced Thursday. Â
   The  two  were arrested in December after holding a symbolic wedding.Â
   They face up to 14 years in prison.
   Homosexuality   is   considered  taboo  in  most  traditional  African
   societies and is illegal in many African countries.
   Human  rights groups had urged Malawi's government to drop the charges
   and  repeal  laws  criminalizing  homosexuality,  while  some  Western
   countries had threatened to reduce aid to Malawi because of the case.
   However, church leaders in Malawi urged the government to maintain the
   current laws.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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