- Title: KENYA: Police halt a gay wedding and make arrests
- Date: 13th February 2010
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER, SAYING: "This is not allowed and these people, their behaviour is all the same, they need to be burned."
- Embargoed: 28th February 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA8N4F9N0OID8SLRFPG88HAYFTS
- Story Text: Kenyan police halted a gay wedding on the Indian Ocean coast on Friday (Friday 12) and arrested several suspected homosexuals.
Homosexuality is illegal in the east African country. The wedding between two men had been scheduled to take place at a private villa in the beach resort of Kikambala.
George Matundura, a senior police commander, said five people had been arrested after officers stormed the address. They would appear in court soon, he added.
"These are homosexuals who wanted to do a wedding and as you know the constitution, the Kenya constitution, says people are not allowed, a man is not allowed to marry another man. It's an offence, unnatural offence, and also their behaviour is repugnant to the morality of the people," Matundura said.
Residents angered by the planned nuptials demonstrated outside the police station where the five suspects were taken.
"This is not allowed and these people, their behaviour is all the same, they need to be burned," an unidentified protester said, to cheers.
Homosexuality has become a contentious topic in Africa in recent months after a Ugandan lawmaker proposed a bill including the death penalty for some acts, then police in Malawi arrested a gay couple for getting engaged in a traditional ceremony.
Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama said the draft bill being debated in Uganda was "odious". The Ugandan government has said that a revised version will probably limit the maximum penalty for convicts to life in prison, rather than execution. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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