Brody's Notes... Maximum 14 Year Hard Labour Sentence Imposed On Gay Couple

Steven Monjeza & Tiwonge Chimbalanga Photo By Reuters

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) May 20 | The BBC has reported that Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, have been sentenced to 14 years at hard labour in a Malawi prison. BBC Senior African Affairs correspondent Raphael Tenthani reports that Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa described the actions by Malawi's first openly gay couple as an affront on Malawi's moral code.

Handing down sentence in the commercial capital, Blantyre, Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa told the pair:

"I will give you a scaring sentence so that the public be protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example." 

The judge said the pair - whom he convicted on Tuesday - had shown no remorse.

"We are sitting here to represent the Malawi society, which I do not believe is ready at this point in time to see its sons getting married to other sons or conducting engagement ceremonies," said the judge.

The BBC's Tenthani, reporting from Blantyre says Monjeza, who is unemployed, broke down in tears while Chimbalanga remained calm. "I am not worried," Chimbalanga, a hotel janitor, told reporters as he was led away. Defence lawyer Mauya Msuku told Tenthani that they would appeal.

The courtroom was packed, and hundreds of people gathered outside the building. Some shouted abuse as the couple were taken back to jail. There were shouts of "You got what you deserve!" and "Fourteen years is not enough, they should get 50!"

Mr Msuku had argued for a lighter sentence, pointing out that the pair's actions had not victimised anyone.

"Here are two consenting adults doing their thing in private. Nobody will be threatened or offended if they are released into society," he said on Tuesday.  "How can they get 14 years simply for loving one another?" he asked. "Even if they are jailed for 20 years you can't change their sexuality."

But despite the outcry, the authorities won't budge. Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika dismisses homosexuality as alien.