In a stunning development, the gay couple in Malawi who were recently sentenced to 14 years hard labor in prison for the crime of celebrating their engagement, have been released by the President of the country.
Following external pressure from various nations and individuals, President Bingu wa Mutharika stated that while he still believes the couple’s actions to be "totally wrong", that he would release them for humanitarian reasons. In Malawi, homosexuality is equated to Satanism. This is an amazing victory, when the overwhelming public opinion in the country was to jail the couple.
Madonna started a campaign for signatures to release the couple, and had 30,000 people sign the petition. Aid and human rights groups put pressure on the President of Malawi, as did the United Nations, and the UK, Malawi’s biggest donor.
