Please ask your MP to sign Early Day Motion 564 (copy below), tabled by John Hemming MP. It condemns Malawi’s arrest and current trial of two men, Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, who are accused of a homosexual relationship. They face up to 14 years in jail, and have already suffered abuse and violence while being held on remand in Chichiri Prison, in the city of Blantyre.
The EDM also calls for the decriminalisation of consenting same-sex relations.
See a background briefing on the case here:
www.petertatchell.net/international/malawi-gay-marriage-trial-on-15-january.html
What you can do
Urge your MP to sign EDM 564 on Malawi’s gay arrests and trial
You can email your MP direct via this website:
www.writetothem.com
Just click on the link and enter your postcode. It will tell you who is your MP and you can email him or her direct. Easy.
All you need to do is write along the following lines:
Draft letter to your MP
Dear (insert your MP’s name),
As one of your constituents, I urge you to sign EDM 564, tabled by John Hemming MP. It condemns Malawi’s arrest and current trial of two men accused of a homosexual relationship. They face up to 14 years in jail, and have already suffered abuse and violence while being held on remand in Chichiri Prison, Blantyre. The EDM also calls for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
See a background briefing here:
www.petertatchell.net/international/malawi-gay-marriage-trial-on-15-january.html
Please also consider writing to a letter of protest to the Malawi High Commissioner in London:
His Excellency Dr. Francis Moto, High Commission of Malawi, 70 Winnington Road, London N2 0TX, United Kingdom. Telephone: 020 8455 5624, Fax: 020 3235 1066, Email: malawi@malawihighcommission.co.uk
Thank you.
Insert your name, address and email.
EDM 564 - Human Rights in Malawi
This House notes the same-sex engagement ceremony in late December
2009 of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga; calls upon the President of Malawi to ensure that they are released from jail and that all charges against them for homosexual relations are dropped; calls upon the Government of Malawi to decriminalise homosexuality in accordance with the equality and non-discrimination clauses of the Malawian constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples'
Rights, and to ensure the human rights of all its citizens, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
See here:
edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=40143&SESSION=903
This EDM will be communicated to the Malawian High Commissioner in London, and will hopefully add to the pressure for a less harsh judgement at the conclusion of Steven and Tiwonge's trial and for the eventual decriminalisation of homosexuality by the Government of Malawi.
The men’s prosecution and the ban on homosexuality violate the equality and non-discrimination provisions of the Constitution of Malawi and of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which Malawi has signed and pledged to uphold.
See details below.
Please also consider writing a letter of protest to the Malawi High Commissioner in London:
His Excellency Dr. Francis Moto, High Commission of Malawi, 70 Winnington Road, London N2 0TX, United Kingdom. Telephone: 020 8455 5624, Fax: 020 3235 1066, Email: malawi@malawihighcommission.co.uk
Thank you.
Best wishes, Peter Tatchell – 0207 403 1790
Constitution of Malawi - Article 20:
1. Discrimination of persons in any form is prohibited and all persons are...guaranteed equal and effective protection against discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, property, birth or other status.
See here:
www.icrc.org/IHL-NAT.NSF/162d151af444ded44125673e00508141/4953f2286ef1f7c2c1257129003696f4/$FILE/Constitution%20Malawi%20-%20EN.pdf
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights - Articles 2, 3 and 4:
Article 2
Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnic group, color, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status.
Article 3
1. Every individual shall be equal before the law. 2. Every individual shall be entitled to equal protection of the law.
Article 4
Human beings are inviolable. Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his person. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of this right.
See here:
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/z1afchar.htm
Confirmation of Malawi’s signature, ratification and accession www.africa-union.org/root/au/Documents/Treaties/List/African%20Charter%20on%20Human%20and%20Peoples%20Rights.pdf
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