Question: what does the following sorry tale have to do with the G20?
Two gay men in Malawi, convicted this week of unnatural acts and gross indecency, were sentenced Thursday to the maximum penalty allowed by law, 14 years of hard labor in prison.
Answer: Canada recently invited Malawi (currently heading up the African Union) to join the Toronto meeting of the G20 in June, along with Ethiopia, the Netherlands, Spain and Vietnam. Cue a certain amount of embarrassment in Ottawa:
“Cases like this are cases we condemn,” Mr. Cannon said Thursday, hours after the two men were sentenced. “We will be following this case as every other case. Canada has a great reputation internationally because we stand up for human rights, and speak out on … things that need to be denounced.”
Well said, Mr Cannon. Will Canadian PM Stephen Harper and other liberally-minded G20 leaders say similar things to Malawi’s President, Bingu wa Mutharika, in Toronto? The White House has announced that it “appalled” by the ruling, so Barack Obama might mention it. Or perhaps Prime Minister Zapatero could use his guest status in Toronto to explain how gay marriage is legal in Spain, as it is in Canada?
Perhaps everyone will maintain a tactful silence. But the gay rights movement has a golden opportunity to put Malawi on the spot by creating a rumpus around the G20… which would be far more interesting than the usual anti-globalization protests.
