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Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, and his partner, Steven Monjeza, 26, a gay Malawi couple arrested in December after celebrating a public engagement ceremony, were sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labor on Thursday for committing "unnatural acts and gross indecency."
Homosexuality is illegal in thirty seven African countries, including Malawi. A new bill in Uganda could make homosexuality punishable by life in prison or by death for "repeat offenders."The verdict is "extremely disturbing," said Michaela Clayton of the Namibia-based AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, saying it could encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region as well as set back the fight against AIDS.
Gay people forced underground in Africa are unlikely to seek counseling and treatment for AIDS, activists say. In Malawi, nearly 1 million people - an estimated 12 percent of the population - are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The case has drawn international attention. Numerous members of British Parliament signed a motion condemning the prosecution. Amnesty International, an international human rights group, adopted the couple as "prisoners of conscience," a term applied by the organization to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, color, belief, or lifestyle so long as they have not committed any act of violence. In the United States, Philip Crowley, an assistant secretary of state, expressed his disappointment in the conviction and said, "We view the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step backward in the protection of human rights in Malawi."
My fear is that this story will be lost and forgotten in the United States. There has been sparse domestic coverage of it thus far. Does this not deserve a statement by Obama? An official condemnation of the conviction? This is a gross violation of human rights and a huge setback for sexual health efforts. Where is the outrage in America?
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President Obama must comment on this. If he doesn't, his silence will speak for him.