Malawi Stops Arresting Gays ... for Now

Parliament considers dumping anti-gay laws entirely

By Evann Gastaldo

Posted Nov 5, 2012 2:40 AM CST

Copied

Malawi Stops Arresting Gays ... for Now — Women shout out as they protest against a sentence given to two men in Malawi, in the city of Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, May 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

As Malawi's parliament considers whether to dump the African nation's anti-gay laws, the Justice Minister has had the laws banning same-sex relationships temporarily suspended, Reuters reports. Police have been ordered not to arrest gay people, who currently face a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Two factors figuring into the reconsideration of the laws: When two men were arrested in 2009 after becoming the first same-sex couple to marry in Malawi, international outcry resulted and some Western donors withdrew monetary support; also, a recent report to the president recommended gay marriages be decriminalized as a way to stem the spread of HIV.

Read These Next

Horrific tragedy reported at Rob Reiner's house.
Rob Reiner's son has been arrested after murder of his parents.
Police interviewing family member after deaths of Rob Reiner, wife.
The Reiners murders and arrest have called attention to a 2015 film.

Report an error