President of Malawi pardons gay couple

The President of Malawi has intervened, pardoned and ordered the immediate release of the gay couple that were recently sentenced to 14 years of hard labor for holding a marriage commitment service in December.

The BBC reports:

"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.'"

Full article here.

Some background from earlier this month is found here.

Posted by Nicholas Knisely on May 29, 2010 10:53 AM | |
Comments (6)

Thanks be to GOD!

Posted by Josh Thomas [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 29, 2010 11:27 AM

Does anyone imagine that this decision was influenced by quiet, behind the scenes diplomacy coming from Canterbury?

Neel Smith

Posted by Neel Smith [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 29, 2010 3:58 PM

HUMANITARIAN THINKING! Oh my, there ought be a press release soon denouncing this ERROR of Godly ¨being¨ from the furious Dean of the Central Africa Anglican Province.

Could be a lack of vigilance on the part of his cluster of fear/hatedriven control freaks/opportunists in Malawi that has occurred because of the first class prepaid vacation, er pilgrimage, to the Gafcon Singapore junket.

Posted by Leonardo Ricardo [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 29, 2010 4:58 PM

Tongue firmly in cheek Neel? No I do not imagine this came about as the result of very public international condemnation. Including from the bishops of South Africa.

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 29, 2010 5:02 PM

Thanks be to God for the sake of the Malwai couple, and for Ban Ki-moon makings their cause part of his visit.

The South Africa Mail & Guardian is reporting that two gay rights activists in Zimbabwe have also been arrested and freed on bail for allegedly possessing a photograph of gay sex and having a letter from former San Francisco Willie Brown posted in their wall condemning Mugabe's stand on homosexuality.

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-05-28-zimbabwe-frees-gay-rights-activists

The article reports they were subjected to what I would describe as torture:

"The Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) organisation said on Thursday that the two employees were assaulted by police while in custody.

Defence attorney David Hofisi said the two were also made to bend their knees into a sitting position with their arms outstretched for long periods and were struck with bottles when they weakened and fell."

It is clear to me just how important the church's voice is in protecting minority figures and minority viewpoints. Again, thanks be to God that the Province of Southern Africa is willing to be the sole voice among global religious communities.

Posted by Dirk C. Reinken [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 29, 2010 6:00 PM

Yes, TBTG.

Now, for their SAFETY (remember the Jim Crow South: it was AFTER black folk were let out of jail, that was usually MOST dangerous to their lives!), let's get Tiwonge & Steven the heck OUT of Malawi, and then throw them the Big Gay Wedding they so justly DESERVE!

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 30, 2010 1:20 AM

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