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Human Rights Commissioner Löning criticizes new law passed in Malawi to further criminalize homosexuality
The Malawian parliament has passed a bill proposed by the Government to criminalize homosexuality between women. Unlike homosexual relations between men, female homosexuality was not previously contained in the penal code. The bill was introduced as a bid to ensure greater equality between men and women. Markus Löning, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy, issued the following statement today (1 December):
“The German Government sees the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality as a core human rights concern. In this regard, the criminalization of female homosexuality in Malawi is a serious setback. I urge President Mutharika of Malawi not to sign this legislation and instead to honour his declared commitment to work for the decriminalization of homosexuality in his country.”