The Constitutional Court in Blantyre is hearing an explosive homosexuality case where a Dutch national Jan Wim Akstar wants Malawi to legalise same sex activities.
The climax of it was during the cross-examination wherein Wim Akstar stated that he brought the case to court in order to advocate for the protection of the rights of individuals, including those who engage in same-sex activities. However, Akstar said he himself is not gay.
State lawyer Victor Jere, who was questioning Akstar, questioned why he would seek to protect homosexuals when he is not personally one of them.
Akstar clarified that he was arrested due to his alleged behavior associated with homosexuality, rather than being a homosexual himself.
At 52 years old, Akstar disclosed that he is not married but has been in relationships with females in the past.
There have been complaints from former employees and students at the Timotheos Foundation, where he found and worked, alleging that Akstar sexually abused them.
The thrust of Akstar’s arguments in court is to move the court to decriminalize laws that penalize individuals based on their sexual orientation. The cross-examination has ended and tomorrow will be time for re-examination by counsel for the claimant, Maere.
Homosexuality issues in Malawi are an anathema and prior to the case, religious organizations in the country conducted demonstrations protesting about any attempt to legalise same sex marriages.
