IGLHRC and CEDEP Condemn Malawi Court's Conviction of Imprisoned Couple
(Cape Town, May 18, 2010) - The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the Malawian organization
the Center for the Development of People (CEDEP) condemn today's conviction by a Magistrate Court in Blantyre, Malawi of Tiwonge ("Tionge") Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza
for "unnatural offences" and "indecent practices between males" under Sections 153 and 156 of the Malawi Penal Code. The court is expected to sentence the
two on May 20th and issue the full judgment within three weeks. Chimbalanga and Monjeza face up to fourteen years in prison with the possibility of hard labour.
"By ignoring basic standards of evidence, this ruling undermines Malawi's commitment to the rule of law and jeopardizes the human rights
of all Malawians," said Chivuli Ukwimi, Health and Human Rights Officer of IGLHRC. "In a context of escalating persecution of LGBT Malawians, this decision damages life-saving
efforts to address HIV and AIDS."
Monjeza and Chimbalanga have been held in Chichiri Prison in Blantyre since December 28, 2009, when they were arrested after a traditional engagement ceremony attended by
family and friends. Following their arrest, Chimbalanga was forced to undergo an involuntary anal examination and both were forced to undergo an involuntary psychiatric evaluation.
The two were repeatedly denied bail - a decision severely criticized as unjust by the Malawi Law Society. There have been reports of the court allowing the couple to be subjected
to humiliating treatment during the trial, including being mocked for their relationship by trial attendees and being forced to clean up vomit after one of them became ill.
Today's ruling is part of a broader pattern of mounting pressure and persecution on LGBT people by authorities in Malawi. This persecution has come from the highest
levels of government. On April 23rd, President Bingu wa Mutharika reportedly denounced homosexuality as "un-Malawian," "evil" and "disgusting" and linked it
to corruption, violence, theft and prostitution. Days later, on April 26th and again on the 27th, police appeared at a conference on the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) populations in HIV/AIDS programming. Police demanded the names of conference organizers, seized copies of the conference program, and inquired
about specific individuals believed to be in attendance. Police refused to present a warrant or justification for the intimidation.
Speaking after today's decision, Dunker Kamba, Adminstrator of CEDEP, said, "This judgment is going to drive the gay community further into hiding. It is not only a ruling
against Steven and Tionge but the whole LGBT community in Malawi and Africa."
These incidents violate the Constitution of Malawi and the human rights treaties to which Malawi is a party. The continued discrimination and persecution of people on the
basis of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity threatens to undermine the right to privacy, the right to non-discrimination and equality before the law, and freedoms of
assembly, association, opinion, and expression that all Malawians are entitled to enjoy.
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The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
(IGLHRC) is a leading human rights organization solely devoted to improving the rights of people around the world who are targeted for
imprisonment, abuse or death because of their sexuality, gender identity or HIV/AIDS status. IGLHRC addresses human rights
violations by partnering with and supporting activists in countries around the world, monitoring and documenting
human rights abuses, engaging offending governments, and educating international human rights officials.
A non-profit, non-governmental organization, IGLHRC is based in New York, with offices in
Cape Town and Buenos Aires. Visit http://www.iglhrc.org for more information
The Mission of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is to secure the full enjoyment of human rights of all
people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity or expression
and/or HIV status.
Contact:
Chivuli Ukwimi , Health and Human Rights Officer, IGLHRC
Cape Town
Office: (27) 21 469 3700; Mobile: (27) 79 443 3938; Email: cukwimi@iglhrc.org
Dunker Kama , Administrator, CEDEP
Blantyre
Mobile: (265) 8888 7 5050; Email: shorinjkenpo@yahoo.co.uk
Reproduced with permission - "INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (IGLHRC)"
INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (IGLHRC)
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