Law Society wants Kenneth Msonda arrested over gay slur
The Malawi Law Society (MLS) has faulted and called for serious measures against People’s Party (PP) publicity secretary Kenneth Msonda following remarks he made regarding homosexuals in the country.
Msonda made the remarks on his social media facebook page following an article in our sister paper the Malawi News that featured a man who called on government to either kill ‘gay’ people or give them their rights.
In his remarks Msonda called the gay people as “worse than dogs and deserve to be sent to hell or to be killed.”
While citing the Constitution of Malawi, MLS said the rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people are human rights that are protected under chapter IV and all Malawians ought to take steps to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
“It is in view of the foregoing that the Malawi Law Society has taken the unusual step of referring the alleged conduct of Mr Msonda to the Malawi Human Rights Commission and the Malawi Police Service so that they investigate the said conduct and take appropriate action,” reads the statement signed by MLS president John Suzi Banda.
The statement which was released yesterday, further argues that Msonda’s remarks are irresponsible, bordering on hate speech and certainly beneath anyone who claims to be a leader in Malawi.
“The Society has observed with concern the increasingly homophobic statements that are being published by some quarters of our citizenry on social media. As all right thinking members of society would agree with us, however, this irresponsibility takes an unacceptably different turn when political leaders and opinion makers take the lead in inciting actual violence against fellow citizens,” reads the statement.
Responding to the MLS statement, Msonda said he stands by what he said.
“Much as I respect MLS opinion, it is very unfortunate the society that is supposed to interpret and protect our laws as enshrined in our Republican Constitution is now misleading us by supporting homosexuality which is against our laws.
“This country will soon turn into a lawless nation because our laws are being applied selectively. Our laws are clear on homosexuality: it is a crime. I stand by what I said,” he said.
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