Yesterday' Joseph Healy' Green Party parliamentary candidate for Vauxhall' protested outside the london offices of the Commonwealth' along with Peter Tatchell' the Green Party's Human Rights Spokesperson. They were joined by many black gays and lesbians' including people from Malawi' Uganda' Nigeria and other
African countries' as well as representatives of the UK black LGBT movement. Joseph said: "As a gay man and the parliamentary candidate for Vauxhall' I gave the Green Party's full backing to the campaign for the release of the gay couple arrested and currently on trial in Malawi for daring to enter into a marriage ceremony and for the repeal of the colonial era homophobic laws in Malawi." Human rights are international and the Green Party has always supported the rights of LGBT people internationally and opposed homophobia' in whatever form it takes. All across Africa' LGBT communities are being used as scapegoats and criminalised.
The Green Party calls upon the Commonwealth to act now and for the President and government of Malawi to intervene to release these two gay men' and to repeal the homophobic laws in Malawi which date back to the colonial era. Joseph concluded: "As many African speakers said yesterday' it is unbelievable that two men are facing imprisonment for the crime of loving each other.
I am proud to stand beside LGBT Africans fighting for their rights."
Claire Norman Press Officer
Green Party of England and Wales From Green Party
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