Malawi's harsh sentencing of two men Thursday for violating sodomy laws could have a "disastrous effect" on its AIDS fight, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were arrested Dec. 28 after local media published stories about the couple's illegal same-sex marriage, reportedly the country's first. Hundreds of onlookers who had gathered outside the court cheered when the men received the maximum sentence - 14 years at hard labor.
The spectacle could drive homosexuals underground and threaten Malawi's public health gains against AIDS, Pillay said Friday. "It is a question of fundamental rights, not one of geography, history or disparate cultures," she added.
"I am shocked and dismayed by the sentence and reports of the treatment of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga while in detention," said Pillay.
"The protection of individuals against discrimination is pervasive in international human rights law. Why should it be suspended for this one group of human beings?" Pillay asked.
President Obama's press secretary issued a statement saying the United States "strongly condemns" the conviction. "The criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity is unconscionable, and this case mars the human rights record of Malawi," the statement said. "We urge Malawi and all countries to stop using sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for arrest, detention, or execution."
05/21/10
MALAWI: Malawi Gay Conviction Is Alarming Precedent: UN Rights Chief
Source: Agence France Presse; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention