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Update on Malawi's Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga

An update on Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the Malawian couple who became the focus of international attention after they were sentenced to 14 years' hard labor for holding an engagement ceremony. Only one week after their pardon by President Bingu wa Mutharika, Monjeza publicly renounced Chimbalanga and announced his engagement to a woman named Dorothy Gulo.

Monjeza and Gulo's engagement is sadly becoming more tabloid fodder, reports The Nyasa Times.

"When Nyasa Times tried to find out about Monjeza’s new sweet heart, it was discovered that she is a prostitute (hooker) who stays in a one roomed apartment behind one of the bars in Chirimba. 'Actually the two met at a drinking joint because Steve is an alcoholic,' said (a neighbor). Monjeza’s sister refused to speak to the media but said apart from what the papers said about the new love, there is nothing that the family know about Dorothy. The sister said she feels sorry for Monjeza who she described as a shame to her family."

The newspaper also reports a businessman attempted to offer Monjeza money to start over, but "found him drunk" over several days. Yet another casualty of the harsh anti-LGBT climate ...

In related news: Monjeza's public renunciation of Chimbalanga was reported by media in Ghana, with the proviso that Monjeza was "pressured ... due to death threats, public insults and abuses which also coupled with threats to re-arrest the duo by the government and police." Those important facts are glossed over by media in Malawi.

REPORT: Malawi Couple Break Up, Monjeza Engaged to a Woman

Apparently this is what you have to do to survive the hostile anti-LGBT climate in Malawi. Steven Monjeza has renounced Tiwonge Chimbalanga, reports The Nyasa Times.

"Steven Monjeza has dumped Tiwonge Chimbalanga –Aunt Tiwo- who he engaged in the first Malawi gay ceremony that earned them a 14 years imprisonment for homosexuality. They were pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika after conceding international pressure. But according to The Nation newspaper, Malawi’s authoritative daily; Monjeza has found a woman, Dorothy Gulo, 24, to marry and claims he was forced into the ‘gay drama’. The man has said he will expose the people that allegedly forced him into the gay act if they continue to pester him. The paper reports that Monjeza alleges that he never had sex with his fellow man, Tiwonge."

Monjeza also claims he was forced to hold last week's news conference, which was his first time seen in public with Chimbalanga since last week's presidential pardon from their sentence of 14 years' hard labor.  Monjeza says he  was "kidnapped" and forced to attend a "drinking orgy."

"We were pardoned but I know the law can bounce back on us if we are not careful. Although I claimed that I still love Tiwo, I did not mean it. I have never had sex with him as was revealed in court. That is why the medical examination failed to establish any anal penetration. I was coerced into the whole thing, The Nation quoted him.  They forcefully picked me from my house in Kameza when I was drunk. They bundled me into their car and said they were taking me for a drink. Indeed, I was treated to a drinking orgy throughout the journey but no one revealed where we were going until I reached a house in Lilongwe to find Tiwo.  He told me that there are many countries willing to take us but I told him I was not interested and would not go."

On May 29, President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned the couple from their sentence of 14 years' hard labor. The couple was convicted of "unnatural acts" and gross indecency for holding an engagement ceremony. Last week, Patricia Kaliati, Malawi's Minister of Gender and Children, told the BBC that Monjeza and Chimbalanga's release  "does not mean" they can continue their relationship.

H/T: Box Turtle Bulletin

Pardoned Malawi Couple Appears on Television, Praises President

Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga made their first public appearance together since Saturday's presidential pardon from their sentence of 14 years' hard labor. The couple was convicted of "unnatural acts" and gross indecency for holding an engagement ceremony. At a brief news conference in Lilongwe late Wednesday, the couple thanked President Bingu wa Mutharika, reports AFP.

"The president has demonstrated that he is a caring father, a considerate and tolerant president. We wish him good health in his everyday endeavours as he continues leading the country to respecting human rights and to economic prosperity," the couple said in a statement.

And: 

"The couple asked the media and the general public to respect their privacy. 'So much has been said and written about us, both positive and negative. We think this is the time for us to be given an opportunity to enjoy our freedom,' they said. They called their ordeal 'the most stressful period in our lives.' Chimbalanga told AFP in a phone interview that he was in Lilongwe to 'have a breather', while his partner had returned to his village.

"Mutharika on Wednesday asked the country to stop talking about the couple's 'satanic' wedding. The public mood in Malawi has generally been in favour of the heavy sentence and against the pardon. ;The story ends there,' Mutharika told reporters. 'I don't want to hear anyone commenting on them. Nobody is authorised to comment on the gays. You will spoil things.' "

Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were released to their home villages and human rights groups are trying to find jobs for them. Earlier this week, Patricia Kaliati, Malawi's Minister of Gender and Children, told the BBC that Monjeza and Chimbalanga's release "does not mean" they can continue their relationship.

The pardoned couple appeared on Television Malawi. The video needs translation but it is fascinating to watch the couple and the press coverage. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Malawi: Couple Released, Seeking Asylum, Threatened w/ Re-Arrest

Several updates on Steven Monjeza (left) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the Malawian couple pardoned on Saturday after being sentenced to 14 years in prison and convicted of "unnatural acts" and gross indecency for holding an engagement ceremony. The couple were released to their home villages but are looking for a safe house and asylum, according reports.

Agence France Presse:

"[Monjez andn Chimbalanga] were at their separate home villages after being released from prison, a local underground gay movement said Sunday.  Gift Trapence, director of the Centre for the development of the People (CEDEP) which paid the couple's legal fees, told AFP. 'The prison authorities told them they had been given instruction from above that they should take them to their respective homes.' Trapence said authorities had deliberately sent the couple -- who were jailed at different prisons -- to their villages near Blantyre to 'avoid hostility towards them by the public.' 'They were warmly welcomed by their respective relatives', he said, saying that he not yet talked to the couple. The public taunted and booed the couple every time they appeared in court in Blantyre following their December 28 arrest after a traditional wedding ceremony, the first same-sex union in Malawi.

Malawi's press is generally praising the pardon granted by President Bingu Wa Mutharika. The Nyasa Times, the nation's most prominent newspaper, wrote an editorial applauding the action and noted that "pressure or not under pressure, the President has done the right thing to pardon the gay couple."

But Patricia Kaliati, Malawi's Minister of Gender and Children, tells the BBC that Monjeza and Chimbalanga's release does not mean they can continue their relationship.

" 'It doesn't mean that now they are free people, they can keep doing whatever you keep doing,' she said. Ms Kaliati said they could be rearrested if they 'continue doing that'. The men's lawyer said they were unlikely to be treated in the same way if they were arrested again. 'The pardon only applies to the offence under which they were convicted. If, for example, they go back and the state is of the view that they have recommited the offence, the pardon will not apply,' said Mauya Msuku."

After a Saturday meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Malawi's leader ordered the couple's release. Human rights groups as well as the United States, Great Britain and the United Nations, Malawi's largest international donors, pressured the conservative southern African nation to release the couple.

Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa, including Malawi. HIV/AIDS activists say the harsh penalties encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region and dissuade gay men who are HIV positive against seeking treatment.

Malawi's President Pardons, Orders Release of Imprisoned Couple

This is amazing. Malawi's president has pardoned and ordered the release of Steven Monjeza (left) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the Malawian couple sentenced to 14 years in prison and convicted of "unnatural acts" and gross indecency" after holding an engagement ceremony, reports The Guardian and the BBC.

Mr Bingu Wa Mutharika, speaking as UN chief Ban Ki-moon visited his country, said he had ordered their immediate release. The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country. Mr Ban hailed the president's decision as "courageous". "This outdated penal code should be reformed wherever it may exist," he said.

Correspondents say Malawi is a deeply conservative society where religious leaders equate same-sex liaisons with Satanism. Mr Mutharika, who has in the past dismissed homosexuality as alien, said he had set them free on humanitarian grounds. "These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws," he said after meeting Mr Ban. "However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions."

Secretary General Ban is due to address Malawi's national assembly later. The UN chief is expected to ask legislators to change the nation's harsh laws against homosexuality.

When Monjeza and Chimbalanga were sentenced on May 20th, the magistrate said: "I will give you a ... sentence so that the public [will] be protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example." The pair were then separated and sent to prisons more than 40 miles apart.

The case has drawn international condemnation. Human rights groups as well as the United States and Britain, Malawi's largest international donors, and of course the United Nations, pressured the conservative southern African nation to release the couple. High profile celebrities such as Elton John and Madonna, who adopted two children from Malawi and is building a school there, also spoke out.

Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa, including Malawi. HIV/AIDS activists say the harsh penalties encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region and dissuade gay men who are HIV positive against seeking treatment.

Next question: Can this couple live safely in Malawi?

Jailed Malawian Couple Separated; SA President Asked to Intervene

More cruelty has been directed toward Steven Monjeza (right) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the Malawian couple sentenced to 14 years in prison and convicted of "unnatural acts" and gross indecency" after holding an engagement ceremony. The couple has been separated.

"Evance Phiri told The Associated Press Wednesday that Tiwonge Chimbalanga is being held at a Blantyre prison, while his partner Steven Monjeza is at a prison some 50 miles (90 kilometers) away. Phiri says they were separated for their own safety, but did not elaborate. They were convicted last week and sentenced to the maximum 14 years at hard labor. Maxwell Manda told the AP his cousin, Chimbalanga is distraught because of the separation. Manda says Chimbalanga is being kept away from hardened criminals. He adds his cousin wants to leave Malawi once he is released."

Meanwhile: Anglican bishops in South Africa call on President Jacob Zuma to intervene on behalf of the jailed couple. "The church also expressed concern over the 'violent language' being used against gays and lesbians in Africa," reports the Voice of America. "Church leaders want Zuma to lobby his Malawian counterpart, President Bingu wa Mutharika, for the men’s release and a change in Malawi’s anti-homosexual laws. Also lending support to the Malawi men are UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe and the head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Michel Kazatchkine. Both met Tuesday with President Mutharika."

White House, Madonna Condemn Sentence of Gay Malawi Couple

The international community is swiftly responding to the outrageous 14 year sentence imposed upon Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the gay Malawi couple convicted of  "gross indecency and unnatural acts." Their crime? Holding a public engagement ceremony in December.

Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi and is building a school in the southern Africa nation, has finally addressed this human rights fiasco. The statement:

"I am shocked and saddened by the decision made today by the Malawian court, which sentenced two innocent men to prison. As a matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. Today, Malawi took a giant step backward. The world is filled with pain and suffering; therefore, we must support our basic human right to love and be loved. I call upon the progressive men and women of Malawi—and around the world—to challenge this decision in the name of human dignity and equal rights for all."

The White House has also strongly denounced the conviction and sentencing. The statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

"The United States strongly condemns the conviction and harsh sentencing of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga in Malawi.  The criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity is unconscionable, and this case mars the human rights record of Malawi.  We urge Malawi and all countries to stop using sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for arrest, detention, or execution."

On Tuesday, the State Department criticized the human rights travesty. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley made an even stronger condemnation today. "The United States is appalled by today's sentencing," Crowley told reporters. "We view the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step backward.

No word yet if the conviction have any bearing on the State Department's $115 million annual foreign aid budget to Malawi.

Malawi Gay Couple Sentenced to Maximum 14 Years Hard Labor

A judge in Malawi has ordered the maximum 14 year sentence in prison with hard labor to the gay couple who has been publicly humiliated, jailed since December and detained in substandard conditions. After holding a public engagement ceremony to declare their love to one another, the judge says its the "worst" case he has seen and others "must not" follow in their example.

More than a thousand people packed the courthouse square for the circus-like atmosphere, reports Reuters.

The couple, Steven Monjeza, 26, and 20-year-old Tiwonge Chimbalanga, were arrested after they got engaged in a traditional ceremony in late December. "I sentence these two ... to a maximum sentence because I want us to stop Malawian sons and daughters from copying the same sex marriages which are un-Malawian and not in our culture and religious beliefs," Chief Resident Magistrate Nyakwawa Uisiwausiwa said. "This is the first case of its kind in Malawi ... this is the worst case of its kind," he added.

Dozens of people packed the court to hear the sentencing. Police closed roads around the building and a nearby bank was closed as more than a thousand people descended on the court. Tiwonge was calm as the judge pronounced the sentence, which includes hard labor, but Monjeza was visibly shaking at the prospect of going to jail. Police whisked the two away in armed vehicles shortly after the sentencing.

Monjeza (left) and Chimbalanga were convicted of "gross indecency and unnatural acts." That would be the public engagement ceremony.

Defense lawyers plead for leniency, report the BBC.

"Defence lawyer Mauya Msuku had argued for a lighter sentence, pointing out that the pair's actions had not victimised anyone. 'Unlike in a rape case, there was no complainant or victim in this case,' he said after the pair were convicted on Tuesday. 'Here are two consenting adults doing their thing in private. Nobody will be threatened or offended if they are released into society.' Michelle Kagari, deputy Africa director of Amnesty International, called the sentence 'an outrage', reports the AP news agency. She described the pair as 'prisoners of conscience'n and said Amnesty would continue to campaign for them to be freed."

Defense attorneys will appeal to Malawi's high court.

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said it was "deeply disappointed" in the conviction. No word yet will the conviction have any bearing on the State Department's $115 million plus annual foreign assistance budget to Malawi.

The Presbyterian Church in Malawi is pleased with the verdict.

African human rights and HIV/AIDS groups are slamming the ruling. HIV/AIDS activists say it will encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region and dissuade gay men who are HIV positive against seeking treatment.

Watch CNN's report from this week AFTER THE JUMP ...

State Dept. Condemns Malawi's Conviction of Gay Couple

The Obama Administration speaks out against the outrageous arrest and conviction of a gay Malawi couple ...

Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were convicted of "gross indecency and unnatural acts" on Tuesday. The couple was arrested in December after they held a traditional engagement ceremony. The men are believed to be the first same-sex couple in Malawi to publicly declare a commitment.

Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley expressed the Obama Administration's displeasure during the Tuesday press briefing.

"The United States is deeply disappointed in today’s conviction of same-sex couple Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza in Malawi. We view the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step backward in the protection of human rights in Malawi. The Government of Malawi must respect the human rights of all of its citizens. The United States views the decriminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as integral to the protection of human rights in Malawi and elsewhere in the world."

The couple faces up to 14 years in prison with hard labor. Sentencing is expected on Thursday. Human rights organizations have condemned the Malawi government's actions. Lawyers promise to appeal to Malawi's high court.

Watch CBS News' report on the case WHEN YOU JUMP ...

Gay Malawi Couple Convicted of "Unnatural Acts"; Face Harsh 14 Year Sentences

A court in Malawi has convicted a gay couple of "gross indecency and unnatural acts." Steven Monjeza (L) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were arrested in December after they held a traditional engagement ceremony. They were rounded up after news reports surfaced, mocked and jeered by homophobic street mobs, charged under colonial-era sodomy laws and detained at Chichiru Prison in poor conditions.

The couple faces up to 14 years in prison with hard labor after becoming the first gay couple in Malawi to publicly commit themselves to each other. And even more animosity from their family and neighbors, reports The Guardian.

"Angry residents and relatives from Machinjiri township, on the outskirts of Blantyre, say they will not allow them to return home if they are set free. A retired economist, Thindwa, added: 'We are giving them moral support by bringing them food, money and clothes to prison.' The rule comes as a blow to gay rights movements across the continent, sparking fears that the ruling could be viewed as a test case and set an unwelcome precedent. Peter Tatchell, the veteran British gay rights campaigner, told the Guardian last week he received a defiant message from Chimbalanga that said: 'I love Steven so much. If people or the world cannot give me the chance and freedom to continue living with him as my lover, then I am better off to die here in prison. Freedom without him is useless and meaningless.'"

Both of the men are reportedly malnourished and ill. In January, Tiwonge Chimbalanga collapsed and vomitted in court. "Observers taunted the man with remarks such as 'Auntie Tiwo is pregnant,'" according to witnesses. "Chimbalanga was allowed to clean himself up, and after a few minutes he returned with a mop and pail to clean the vomit from the court floor. In Africa women usually mop the floor, even when they are sick."

African LGBT activists fear the verdict could have a chilling effect. "Michaela Clayton of the Namibia-based AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa [says] it could encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region as well as set back the fight against AIDS," reports the AP. "Gay people forced underground in Africa are unlikely to seek counseling and treatment for AIDS, she and other activists said."