Man held over gay posters
2010-02-02 15:48
Blantyre - A man has been arrested for fixing gay rights posters in Malawi's main city Blantyre, to protest the trial of a newly-wed gay couple for "gross indecency", a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Activist Peter Sawali, 21, was arrested on Saturday night for hanging posters proclaiming "gay rights are human rights" in townships and along a main highway, police spokesperson Edna Ligowe said.
"He claimed to have been fighting for gay rights," Ligowe said.
He will be charged with "conduct likely to cause breach of peace", Ligowe said.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi, where consensual gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
The conservative southern African nation - which assumed the presidency of the African Union at the weekend - has drawn international attention in recent weeks for the prosecution of a newly-wed gay couple.
Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were arrested in December for holding a public same-sex wedding and charged with "gross indecency".
The two have pleaded not guilty to the charge, but have been denied bail.
The men have appealed their case to the Constitutional Court, but a lower court trial is set to resume on Wednesday.
- SAPA