Malawi's Gay Prisoners

by Michael Jones · 2010-03-09 07:57:00 UTC
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Malawi FlagSteven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga have been in a Malawi jail since December, when they were arrested for celebrating their relationship in a public ceremony.  Prosecutors have charged them with the crime of homosexuality -- punishable by up to 14 years of jail time in Malawi -- and have been waging a trial against the two men for the better part of the past two months. A verdict is expected to come down on March 22, although all signs are pointing to continued prison time for these two men.

The heart of this case reeks of rampant homophobia. Both Monjeza and Chimbalanga were detained by police, then allegedly beaten, then put in rather gruesome prison conditions. After all of that, the two men admitted to Malawi officials that they had engaged in sex. Cue the criminal charges.

Yesterday, Peter Tatchell of the UK group "Outrage!" called on Amnesty International to recognize these two men as prisoners of conscience. After all, they're being detained for a crime that isn't really a crime, they're facing a prison sentence that could literally steal their lives away from them, and they've been treated as harsh as can be in Malawi jails. Put all that together, and it does kind of sound like "prisoner of conscience" material.

"Adoption by Amnesty as Prisoners of Conscience would be a great morale boost for Tiwonge and Steven. It might also help encourage a less harsh sentence, if they are found guilty when their trial verdict is announced on 22 March," said Peter Tatchell.

The hope is that they get these bogus charges dropped. But even a reduced sentence, along with knowing that some of the world's biggest human rights and gay rights actors are behind them, would be a huge development both for this case, and for Monjeza and Chimbalanga.

In a really cool move of solidarity, LGBT activists from Mozambique traveled to Malawi to lend their support to Monjeza and Chimbalanga. The delegation -- 14 men and 3 women -- has been working hard, both publicly and behind the scenes, to try and secure the release of the two men. And together with Malawi LGBT activists, they're also calling for a continent-wide solidarity movement.

"It is high time African gays united against repressive laws," said James Wongani Phiri, a spokesperson for the group Magrim (Malawi Gay Rights Movement).

Meanwhile, both Monjeza and Chimbalanga are getting some support in the form of a letter of solidarity from Scottish officials. Twenty-eight members of the Scottish Parliament signed a motion condemning both the imprisonment and the trial of these two men.

"Although Scotland does not have an official foreign policy role," said Parliamentarian Joe FitzPatrick. "this is an important issue of human rights and we must speak up and mobilize public opinion in Scotland."

Not just in Scotland, but in every country around the globe, too.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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