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Photo: Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga appear in court on charges of indecency
A new crackdown on homosexuality in parts of Africa has forced gay communities into hiding, fearing for their lives.
In Malawi, two men who dared to go public with their relationship by holding a traditional "marriage" ceremony are on trial for indecency, and face 14 years in jail.
"It's so scary," one gay man, who didn't want to be identified, told Sky News in the city of Blantyre, where the trial is taking place.
"We are not feeling free and are worried about being arrested."
It is the first case to be brought under Malawi's longstanding legislation banning homosexuality in years. The rise of US style evangelist preachers has contributed to a hardening of attitudes in the tiny southern African state.
Sometimes I think it would be better to kill myself, we are not even treated as human - Quote from a gay man in Malawi
"Biblically it is demonic," pastor Stanley Ndovi said, flipping through the pages of his bible to show me the passages that condemn homosexuality. "It is wrong and these people should be counselled and helped."
Inside his church on the outskirts of Blantyre, his congregation laughed when he told them that Sky News had come to talk to him about "gay rights".
At best, homosexuality is viewed as a mental illness in Malawi, at worst a form of Satanism with the power to infect the entire population.
"In the West you have allowed homosexuality and it has spread," pastor Ndovi said.
The gay couple on trial are considered such a risk to the public that they have been denied bail and are handcuffed every time they appear in court, jeered by the crowds as they're led to the dock.
"Sometimes I think it would be better to kill myself," another gay man said. "We are not even treated as human."
Malawi is not alone in its new hardline approach to gays and lesbians. Uganda is considering introducing legislation that would result in the death penalty for some "homosexual offences".
The Ugandan government has tried to distance itself from the plan after criticism from its biggest donor, the United States.
Full Story at source: http://news.sky.com/skynews |
