A gay couple in Malawi who held a public wedding ceremony have been arrested and charged with “gross indecency,” police officials said Tuesday.
According to Reuters:
Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza publicly wed in a symbolic, traditional ceremony on Saturday.
“We arrested them last night at their home and charged them with gross public indecency because the practice is against the law,” police spokesman, Dave Chingwalu, told Reuters.
Homosexuality is banned in Malawi and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
Chingwalu said the two men were likely to face further charges and would be held until further investigations have taken place.
The two Malawian men became the first gay couple to publicly tie the knot in the South African country where the penal code outlaws homosexuality and sodomy — which is punishable by a maximum of 14 years in jail.
