GAY INMATE FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE IN MALAWIAN PRISON

By Simangele Mzizi (BTM Intern)

MALAWI – 20 April 2010: One of the two men detained for holding a same-sex engagement party, is in a critical condition at Chichiri Prison and gay rights activists say it is because of the situation at this facility, where inmates eat only twice a day, with fetid holding cells, no proper sanitation and medical care.

Steven Monjeza (26) and his partner and Tiwonge Chimbalanga (20) were arrested on on 28 December 2009 after holding a civil marriage ceremony and are facing criminal charges of “unnatural offences” and “indecent practices between males.”

In prison for more than three months now, Monjeza is sick and according to human rights campaigner Peter Thatchell’s informant, he has not been receiving medical care.

“He is vomiting, coughing and suffering from pain and pressure in his chest, his eyes are jaundiced, he is thin and weak, with barely enough energy to smile”, said Thatchell.

Tatchell who allegedly received an urgent appeal from inside the prison, requesting help for Monjeza revealed “My informant says Steven urgently needs to go to hospital for a full medical examination and treatment. The prison authorities have failed to give even sufficient pain-killers, his pain-killers ran out on 10 April.”

He added, “Toilet and shower facilities are deficient Steven receives only two meals a day and it is always the same maize porridge with beans, which has low nutritional value.  His health is likely to deteriorate further unless he gets swift medical care.”
 
Meanwhile, human rights defender Davespads Armstrong suspects,“its almost like the Malawian government are wanting him to die so they don’t have to face this issue, we need to keep the campaign going for their immediate release.”

Currently around 2,000 inmates are held at Chichiri prison even though it was built for 800 prisoners. The high rates of infections and diseases have been attributed to
the overcrowding of the inmates.

Speaking to IRIN/PlusNews, Gift Trapence, Executive Director for the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) said , “I think that maybe in the history of Malawi, no one has come out like Monjeza and Chimbalanga , I think government was caught unaware that in Malawi  gay people exist.

Monjeza and Chimbalanga were adopted by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience and Human Rights Watch has called on prosecutors to drop all charges against the two men and called on the Malawian government to reaffirm its commitment to all Malawians’ right to equality, privacy, and dignity.

Tatchell urged human rights defenders world wide to lobby their respective ambassadors to press the government of Malawi to transfer Monjeza to hospital and provide him with medical treatment.