Malawi politician: ‘Devil’ gays must be killed because arresting them isn’t enough
A politician in Malawi has called for gay people to be murdered – because apparently arresting them isn’t good enough.
Two men were arrested in the country on gay sex charges last month, despite the government insisting that it would no longer arrest people for same-sex sexual acts.
The country is heavily reliant on Western aid money – and after international outcry Malawi’s Justice Minister has stepped in to quash the case and once again block enforcement of the anti-gay law.
However, the move hasn’t gone well with the country’s opposition People’s Party, founded by former Vice President Joyce Banda.
Party spokesperson Ken Msonda made disturbing comments about the case on Facebook, writing of gay people: “Arresting them won’t address this problem because sooner or later they are being released on bail.
“The best way to deal with this problem is to KILL them!
“It is pathetic to see our media houses parading these dogs on TV and newspapers hiding behind human rights — human rights my foot! The devil has no rights!”
Many internet commenters in the country appeared to side with Msonda – but the Malawi Law Society spoke out to condemn his comments.
The conglomerate of lawyers in the country said: “MLS strongly condemns any and all homophobic statements & hate speech made against #LGBTI people.
“MLS supports the #LGBTI community & affirms that their rights are human rights protected under the Constitution.”