The High Court in Blantyre sitting as a constitution court has dismissed the application in which Jan Willem Akster, from the Netherlands, and Jana Gonani were challenging the Penal Code that criminalises carnal knowledge against the order of nature as unconstitutional.
After hearing the matter, the three-judge panel comprising Joseph Chigona, Vikochi Chima and Chimbizgani Kacheche has thrown out the case based on a number of reasons.
Among the reasons given, the applicants failed to bring evidence on how the provisions in the country’s laws were discriminatory against homosexuals.
The judges have further recommended that if the applicants are still not satisfied, they will have to move Parliament to do the necessary amendments to the laws but according to them, the laws of the country are not in infringement of rights of people who identify themselves as homosexuals as the applicants had submitted before the court.
Source: Nation Publications Limited
