Malawi: man beaten in bloody suspected anti-gay attack

Arrested and tortured, now beaten to a pulp. A Malawi man who was charged with homosexuality last year has been brutally attacked in what’s thought to be an anti-gay hate incident.

Bloody pictures of the thirty-something man, who we have chosen not to name, were posted on Facebook on Monday by activist Kelvin Gormani.

According to the Nyasa Times, he was “attacked by an unknown gang for being gay” in the capital Lilongwe

Gormani said on Facebook, however, that it was still unclear who attacked the man, a hotel worker, or the motive behind the beating.

The assault follows a recent shocking call by the spokesperson for Malawi’s former ruling People’s Party, Ken Msonda, for gays and lesbians to be killed.

The victim was one of two men who were arrested in December when police raided a private home. They were reportedly forced to undergo anal exams, seen as a form of torture by human rights groups.

The alleged couple were later released with all charges dropped after the government announced that it had suspended enforcement of the country’s gay sex ban.

This was met with condemnation by religious leaders and Msonda’s urging on social media for the murder of gay people as the “best way to deal with the problem.”

The attack indicates that Msonda’s words could be resulting in real and violent consequences for the country’s LGBT community. While charges were laid against him for inciting others to break the law, the state chose not to pursue them, a move condemned by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.