HIV patient fears persecution if he is sent back to Malawi

An HIV patient in Coventry has appealed a Home Office decision to deport him to Malawi, saying he fears he will be persecuted in his home country, the Birmingham Mail reported.

A tribunal heard that the man, who cannot be named in the media, said he would be jailed if he goes back to Malawi. He added that he needed to stay in the UK, where treatment for HIV-positive patients is much more advanced.

The man, who came here on a short-term visa, told the court that he was in a relationship with another man from Coventry and produced pictures of himself at local gay pub The Rainbow.

He also produced medical evidence to prove he was receiving treatment for HIV at Coventry’s George Eliot Hospital.

“The government in Malawi has no respect for homosexuals and I will be prosecuted if I am sent back there. I know several gays who have been persecuted,” he said.

He added, “People here are kind. Life here is much better than where I came from.”

But the Home Office has questioned whether the man is gay. A government official accused him of not revealing his sexuality in interviews with the Home Office or providing enough evidence, but conceded that he could, in fact, be gay.

The judge said he would make a decision on the case at a later date.