Gay couple freed by Malawi presidential pardon return to home villages

[Shana A]

Gay couple freed by Malawi presidential pardon return to home villages

Human rights campaigner says men have not been reunited amid fears for their safety

    * Godfrey Mapondera Blantyre and David Smith in Johannesburg
    * guardian.co.uk, Sunday 30 May 2010 19.59 BST

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/malwi-gay-couple-freed-villages

A gay couple freed by presidential pardon in Malawi are living in separate villages amid fears for their safety.

Steven Monjeza, 26, and 20-year-old Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, walked free earlier this weekend when President Bingu wa Mutharika lifted their 14-year jail sentence on "humanitarian grounds" after meeting the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon.

But a human rights campaigner in Malawi said the men had not been reunited.

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Monjeza Pleads: "I Need Money"
By Advocate.com Editors

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/05/30/Malawi_Monjeza_Says_He_Needs_Money/

The Guardian reported that when one of its reporters approached Monjeza, he replied: "I can't just talk to you. I am selling my story Give me K100,000 (about $665)." He then dropped his request to K60,000, adding, "I need money. Good money. I have just come out of prison. I need to survive."