By Jack Flanagan The news coming from Malawi may suggest a gradual shift in political opinion about LGBT rights. Recently, Malawian President Peter Mutharika announced through his press secretary Gerald Viola that he “wants gay rights protected,” in an interview on a local radio station. In an interview with BuzzFeed, Viola reiterated Mutharika’s message of … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Joyce Banda
Malawi outraged as West opposes revival of gay arrests
Malawi is no longer a beacon of hope for human rights activists; instead it may be backsliding into an official embrace of anti-gay repression that the country had left behind. At the same time, many Malawians are focusing relatively little on whether the country’s anti-homosexuality law, Section 153, is a good one. Instead, their focus … Continue reading
It’s official: No more Malawi arrests under anti-gay laws
Malawi has stopped arresting people for same-sex intimacy pending a review of the country’s anti-gay laws, Malawi’s justice minister told the U.N. Human Rights Committee last week. The latest moratorium is related to last fall’s move by the country’s High Court to review the constitutionality of Malawi’s anti-gay laws. The court invited government agencies, religious … Continue reading
3 in Malawi prisons await ruling on sodomy law
Powerful figures in Malawi are battling in court over whether the country’s law against homosexual activity should be repealed. Malawian human rights activists argue that the law that criminalizes homosexual behavior (Section 153) is unconstitutional and in violation of Malawi’s legal protections for citizens regardless of their sex, race, tribe or religion. The focus of … Continue reading
UN joins legal challenge to Malawi’s anti-gay law
The United Nations AIDS task force has joined a constitutional challenge to Malawi’s sodomy law, which will go before that country’s High Court on March 17. The law has been on hold since November 2012, when Justice Minister Ralph Kasambara declared a moratorium on arrests and prosecutions related to consensual homosexual activity. He later denied making … Continue reading
Malawi High Court weighs overturning anti-gay law
Malawi’s anti-gay law faced a new challenge this week as the Malawi High Court decided to review the constitutionality of the country’s ban on homosexual intercourse. That law has been on hold since November 2012, when Justice Minister Ralph Kasambara has called for a moratorium on arrests and prosecutions related to homosexual activity. He later denied … Continue reading
Jailed for first try at gay wedding, Malawian wants another
After fleeing to South Africa in the months after his 14-year prison sentence for homosexuality was reversed in Malawi, Tiwonge Chimbalanga says he has no regrets about his 2009 engagement ceremony there. “I did nothing wrong not even a tiny bit,” said Chimbalanga, who is a transgender woman. “Even here in South Africa I want … Continue reading
Moratorium on gay arrests in Malawi
The justice minister in Malawi has called for a moratorium on arrests and prosecutions under laws that ban homosexual activity. “If we continue arresting and prosecuting people based on the said laws and later such laws are found to be unconstitutional it would be an embarrassment to government,” Justice Minister Ralph Kasambara told Reuters. “It … Continue reading
Malawi is homophobic, but is learning about gays
Malawi President Joyce Banda says her country is not yet ready to repeal its laws against homosexual activity, but nevertheless many Malawi citizens have at least been trying to inform themselves about the lives of sexual minorities. That’s apparent from the recent series of articles published in the Malawian newspaper The Nation. The reporter, Bright … Continue reading
Malawi leader: My plan to repeal anti-gay laws is stymied
The people of Malawi apparently aren’t ready to repeal the country’s laws against homosexual activity, says President Joyce Banda, who has vowed to seek to overturn them. Current law in Malawi provides for imprisonment for up to five years for “indecent practices between males” and up to 14 years for “unnatural offenses” such as same-sex … Continue reading
