Malawi citizens require courage to take “action” against the economic turmoil in the country and must urge President Peter Mutharika to clearly explain to Malawians what he and his government are doing to take the country out of its numerous problems, a local human rights body in Malawi has said. The Centre for Development of People […]
Human rights activist Gift Trapence of Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP), a Malawian NGO working on human rights of minority groups, has accused governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for getting back to its past mistakes in bad law formulation. Trapence was commenting on the passing of controversial Customary Land Bill which will entail […]
Human rights campaigner Timothy Mtambo has said Malawi was founded on secular pillars of democracy and is not a Christian nation therefore calls by religious leaders for government to outlaw homosexuality is irrelevant and misplaced. Mtambo, who heads the vocal Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), said people should distinguish sin from crime. A […]
Musician-cum-politician Lucius Banda on Sunday received rare praise during a Catholic homily in Mangochi for abruptly ending his musical show in the holiday lakeshore district of Mangochi in protest against the kissing of two men on Christmas Day. Bishop Montfort Sitima of Mangochi diocese said Sunday in church in his homily that many Malawians reject […]
Malawi’s main Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on have teamed up and formed a single platform, which they are calling, Citizens forum for the Defence of Good Governance(CFDGG), saying they are not seeking the illegal removal of President Peter Mutharika’s administration. Addressing a news conference in the capital city Lilongwe to mark the official launch of […]
Malawi rights campaigner and prominent leaders of Civil Society organisations (CSOs) leaders, who have been critical of government and issued a communiqué calling on President Peter Mutharika to address economic challenges or resign, have been receiving serious threats to their lives including warning of their impending death. The threats are said to be forcing some […]
Civil society organisations (CSOs) met the UN rights committee in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday during the pre-session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and reported on the human rights situation in Malawi, mainly focusing on the discrimination of sexual minorities. Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) executive director Gift Trapence pleaded with the committee to impress on the […]
Malawi has asked for $388 888 (about K180 million) from The Global Fund for Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV and Aids to support activities such as testing, counselling and treatment, condoms and prevention of risky behaviour for same-sex in the country despite homosexuality being against the law. And Minister of Health Jean Kalilani has said those […]
Human rights activist Gift Trapence of the Centre for Development of People (Cedep) has appealed to President Peter Mutharika not to rush in assenting to e Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill, into law, saying the bill has all good intentions only that it has been spoiled by some discriminatory aspects. He cited the discriminatory […]
Centre for Development of the People (Cedep) which campaigns for rights for the Lesbians, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Inter-sex persons (LGBTI) community in Malawi has commended government for “embracing” homosexuality by requesting resources from The Global Fund for HIV and Aids interventions targeting the LGBTI community. According to published report, Malawi has asked for $388 […]
Two human rights organisations, Centre for Development of the People (Cedep) and Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) with support from an American based organisation, Benetech, have launched a report on human rights violations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity which indicates a wave of intense homophobia is washing across Malawi . Proudly lesbian: […]
Two of Malawi’s leading human rights watchdogs Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for Development of People (Cedep) have faulted Malawi’s government’s approach of using chiefs to challenge federalism calls by some quarters, citing that such an approach has only managed to sow seeds of suspicion in the public about the government. […]
Malawi President Peter Mutharika has assured that his government is committed to address keys human rights issues including reports of cases of extrajudicial killings gets to logical conclusion as fundamental key in unlocking financial . Mutharika told a news conference in the capital, Lilongwe, Tuesday afternoon. He was responding to the question on what his […]
Calls to descriminalise homosexuality in Malaiw have been reignited, as a renowned gay rights campaigner, Gift Trapence has urged Malawi to show “commitment to universal human rights” by emulating Uganda’s constitutional court which recently quashed anti-gay law. The Ugandan top court nullified legislation signed by long-serving President Yoweri Museveni that made homosexuality a crime punishable by life in prison, citing a lack […]
Malawi-renowned gay rights campaigner, Gift Trapence has spoken against all prejudice, discrimination and hate crime on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex (LGBTI) people. Trapence writing jointly with rights campaigner Timothy Mtambo writing in their ‘Sexual Minority’ column in the Weekend Nation newspaper, urged for fair and open society. They were reacting to a communique signed by Catholic bishops from East and […]
Human rights activist in Malawi have made a fresh bid to decriminalise gay acts in the country. Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Malawi and attracts a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment. But Cedep Executive director Gift Trapence addressing a news conference with rights campaigners to mark Malawi’s 50 years of independence, made a […]
Aspiring presidential candidates Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Atupele Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF)have come under fire for recommending referendum to end debate on sexual minority rights. The three said once voted into power in 2014 they would call for a referendum for […]
Two prominent Malawi human rights organisations have described the call by the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that government should call for a national referendum to solicit views of Malawians on the issue of scrapping laws against homosexuality as “retrogressive”. DPP’s recently issued a statement after rock superstar Sir Elton John hailed President Joyce Banda for […]