World | Malawi Malawi Leader Pardons Jailed Gay Couple He orders their immediate release By Newser Editors and Wire Services Suggested by Disillusioned Posted May 29, 2010 10:26 AM CDT Copied Tiwonge Chimbalanga, right, and Steven Monjeza, left back, are led from court in Blantyre, Malawi, on May 20. (AP Photo/Alex Ntonya) Malawi's president says he has pardoned and ordered the release of a jailed gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison. President Bingu wa Mutharika made the announcement today during a press conference with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe, the capital. A judge earlier this month convicted and sentenced Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza on charges of unnatural acts and gross indecency, both colonial-era laws. The two were arrested in December, a day after they celebrated their engagement. The case has drawn international condemnation and sparked a debate on human rights in this conservative southern African country. Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa, including Malawi. Read These Next White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Supreme Court ruling is a big blow to Planned Parenthood. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Report an error