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BLANTYRE, Malawi — Malawi’s president on Saturday pardoned a gay couple who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered their release, but he insisted homosexuality was still illegal in his conservative southern African nation.
President Bingu wa Mutharika announced the pardon on “humanitarian grounds only” during a news conference with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in Lilongwe, the capital. The U.S. praised the move.
Malawi had faced international condemnation for the conviction and harsh sentencing of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, who were arrested in December, a day after celebrating their engagement.
