Queens Composer Lobbies Against Malawi

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the master of Queen Elizabeth II's music, has called on the Scottish government to discontinue any aid to Malawi unless officials in the African nation release two gay men arrested there after engaging in a same-sex marriage ceremony, London's Sunday Times reports.

Davies, who lives with his partner, Colin Parkinson, has joined the efforts of renowned gay rights advocate Peter Tatchell in the campaign to release Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga. The Malawi couple have been charged with gross public indecency and could face up to 14 years in jail.

Scotland gives the equivalent of $4.8 million of aid to Malawi every year, and if the gay men aren't released, Davies says that aid should be discontinued. "I'm keen to put my name forward and to support the campaign to get those people out of jail," he said. "The way these people have been treated is inhumane and they must be released."

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