Zimbabwe: In Zimbabwe, courthouse filming lands journalist in jail

1st March 2010
New York, March 1, 2010—A Zimbabwean freelance journalist was arrested today for the third time this year—this time for taking footage of prisoners outside a courthouse in the capital, Harare, according to local journalists.
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Malawi: Malawi launches hunt for gays

28th February 2010
Blantyre - Police in Malawi said on Sunday they were hunting down key figures in the country's gay community after discovering "pornographic films" at the office of a rights group. "We are targeting some prominent personalities and our suspects include legislators, priests, academics and other professionals," police spokesperson Davie Chingwalu told AFP.
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Swaziland: SWAZI JUDGE DEFENDS CONSTITUTION

27th February 2010
A Swaziland High Court judge has rewritten a law because it is denies women their human rights.
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Malawi: Malawi's Constitutional Court on Tuesday refused to hear the case of a gay couple arrested for

24th February 2010
Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were arrested in late December and have been tried in a magistrate's court in this conservative Southern African country where homosexuality is illegal.
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Malawi: Malawians Debate Legalizing Gay Marriage

19th February 2010
Rights campaigners say current laws against gays are a violation of human rights In late December, two gay men held an engagement ceremony – and were promptly arrested. The event prompted a public debate over the legalization of homosexuality. Sections 153 and 156 of the country’s penal code outlaw sexual intercourse between people of the same sex. But some human rights campaigners argue that the laws contravene the constitution and international conventions that guarantee equality and non-discrimination regardless of sexual orientation.
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Bostwana: BONELA to fight Gov't over 'gay' rights

19th February 2010
The newly appointed Director at Botswana Network Of Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), Uyapo Ndadi is set to fight it out with government in court over section 164 of the Penal Code, which criminalises same sex relationships.
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SALC in the News: Deferring al-Bashir trial will not help Sudan

16th February 2010
IN THE debate over the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the respective sides — the justice purists and the peace pragmatists — give no ground. Recent developments at the ICC and the African Union (AU) made that clear. But neither of these extremes offers good law or good policy.
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SALC in the News: UNTIL PRISON US DO PART

14th February 2010
FOR some of us (these writers included), our first recollection of Valentine’s Day is of some humiliating school-time ritual in which we had to watch our more fortunate peers receive the tokens sent to them by their admirers. But if we were left disconsolate then at our lack of any admirers, there was always the prospect that the following year we too might get to bask in love’s warm glow.
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Malawi: Malawi man arrested for posters on gay rights

3rd February 2010
A man has been arrested for putting up posters championing gay rights, police said on Tuesday, adding they were searching for other Malawians they believe are working with foreigners in the campaign
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Statement: Civil Society Organisations Call for the Repeal of Discriminatory Laws and the Dismissal of Charges in Malawi Same-Sex Case

28th January 2010
We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our deep concern at the imprisonment and prosecution of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga under provisions of Malawi’s penal code criminalizing private sexual behavior. We further call on Malawian authorities to drop all charges against both men and repeal sections 153 and 156 of the penal law.
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