A Malawian judge has rejected a bail application by 2 gay men charged with public indecency after getting engaged. Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa said Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza would be safer in custody while they wait their trial, expected to start next week. The pair, believed to be the 1st gay couple in Malawi to start the process of getting married, pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. Homosexual acts carry a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in Malawi. Denying them bail, Mr Usiwa-Usiwa said: "The accused have the right to bail but considering the public interest their case has generated it is the view of the court that they are safer in police custody than out there." He said the pair would be given bail on January 10 if prosecutors had not finished investigating by then. The pair face 3 charges of unnatural practices between males and gross indecency. Malawi is a deeply conservative society but recently a group of campaigners came together to form a gay rights organisation, Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP). CEDEP's executive director says the laws used to arrest the couple are invalid because they are against the Bill of Rights enshrined in the 1995 constitution. Some in government have also started to call for more openness about homosexuality as the authorities try to tackle high rates of HIV/Aids.
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