Hanging Up Gay Rights Posters Gets You Arrested in Malawi

Now you don’t even have to get engaged to be arrested in Malawi — you just have to hang up signs supporting gay rights, which activist Peter Sawali found out the hard way. AP: “A man has been arrested for putting up posters championing gay rights, police said Tuesday, adding they were searching for other Malawians they believe are working with foreigners in the campaign. … In an interview Tuesday, police spokesman Dave Chingwalu said the man arrested Saturday will be charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, a misdemeanor that could be punished with a fine of up to 5,000 kwacha (about $35) or up to three months in jail. Chingwalu said Peter Sawali, who was jailed pending further investigations, was found with stacks of expertly and expensively printed posters displaying such messages as: ‘gay rights are human rights!’”

Naturally, foreigners are funding the propaganda campaign! “‘We are still investigating because we believe there is a chain of people who were working with Mr. Sawali,’ Chingwalu said. ‘We cannot rule out international sponsors because of the quality and the quantity of the posters,’ he said. ‘They might even have been produced outside.’”