GAY COUPLE ARRESTED IN MALAWI

Two gay men, who married in a traditional ceremony in the conservative Southern African country of Malawi on Saturday, have been arrested.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza tied the knot in a symbolic public ceremony, the first gay marriage in the conservative country, reports The Nation.

“We met at church where we both pray and we have been together for the last five months… I have never been interested in a woman,” Monjeza told the newspaper after the ceremony.

On Tuesday, police confirmed that the men had been arrested on a charge of public indecency.

“We arrested them because they committed an offence; homosexuality in Malawi is illegal,” police spokesman Davie Chingwalu told the BBC.

Homosexuality carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment in the country.

The men will reportedly be held in separate cells as they wait to appear in court, which is expected to be sometime after the New Year. They could face additional charges pending further investigation.