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Malawi gay couple deny indecency | Malawi gay couple deny indecency |
(about 10 hours later) | |
Two gay men arrested in Malawi after getting engaged have pleaded not guilty to charges of gross public indecency. | Two gay men arrested in Malawi after getting engaged have pleaded not guilty to charges of gross public indecency. |
Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza appeared at a packed court in Malawi's biggest city Blantyre, where they will ask for bail on Monday. | |
The pair held a traditional engagement ceremony over the weekend - believed to be the first gay couple in Malawi to start the process of getting married. | The pair held a traditional engagement ceremony over the weekend - believed to be the first gay couple in Malawi to start the process of getting married. |
Homosexual acts carry a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in Malawi. | Homosexual acts carry a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in Malawi. |
The BBC's Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre says large crowds of onlookers went to see the couple in court. | |
People are exaggerating this thing. I may just as well dissolve this marriage Steven Monjeza | |
He says some people congratulated them but other shouted insults. | |
Prosecutors say they will send the pair to hospital to prove they have had sex together. | |
They face three charges of unnatural practices between males and gross indecency. | |
Mr Monjeza, 26, hinted that he may consider calling off the proposed wedding, as he was sent back to prison. | |
"I am sad I am going back to Chichiri Prison," he said. "The condition are terrible there. People are exaggerating this thing. I may just as well dissolve this marriage." | |
Mr Chimbalanga, 20, dressed in women's clothes, refused to speak to journalists, beyond accusing them of writing "stupid" things. | |
They were arrested on Monday at the home they share. | |
Malawi is a deeply conservative society but recently a group of campaigners came together to form a gay rights organisation, Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP). | |
CEDEP's executive director, Gift Trapence, says the laws used to arrest the couple are invalid because they are against the Bill of Rights enshrined in the 1995 constitution. | CEDEP's executive director, Gift Trapence, says the laws used to arrest the couple are invalid because they are against the Bill of Rights enshrined in the 1995 constitution. |
Correspondents say some voices in government have also started to call for more openness about homosexuality as the authorities try to tackle high rates of HIV/Aids. | Correspondents say some voices in government have also started to call for more openness about homosexuality as the authorities try to tackle high rates of HIV/Aids. |
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