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Malawi couple may be subjected to medical exam to prove sexual relations

Malawi couple may be subjected to medical exam to prove sexual relations

The first gay couple to marry in Malawi face a humiliating medical examination aimed at proving they have had sexual relations, reports the Guardian.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza could be sentenced to 14 years in prison if found guilty of “unnatural practices between males”.

Gay rights campaigners reacted angrily to the men’s treatment and warned that a renewed trend of homophobia was sweeping Africa.

Chimbalanga, 20, and 26-year-old Monjeza made history when they committed to marriage at a symbolic ceremony last weekend – the first same-sex couple to do so in the southern African state, in which homosexual acts are illegal.

Two days later, they were arrested at their home. Chimbalanga, wearing a women’s blouse, and Monjeza appeared in court in the city of Blantyre to answer three charges of unnatural practices between males and gross indecency.

The state prosecutor argued that the men had been living together as a married couple since August, and applied for them to be sent to hospital to prove they have had sex together.

More at the Guardian.co.uk.

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