Malawi has announced that it will stop arresting people for having gay sex and will review its anti-gay laws.

In response to questions from the UN Human Rights Committee Justice Minister Janet Chikaya-Banda said that while its anti-gay laws were in review, the country would stop arresting people for sex acts with people of the same gender.

In January of this year, three men who had been sentenced to between six and twelve years imprisonment with hard labour for committing homosexual acts launched an appeal to the High Court, which resulted in a ruling that the country’s anti-gay laws must be reviewed.

Sexual activity between two individuals of the same sex is currently illegal in Malawi and is punishable by up to 14 years of imprisonment.

In 2012, President Joyce Banda pledged to repeal Malwai’s anti-gay laws, but later stated that the country was “not ready” to decriminalize homosexuality.