Britain has condemned the conviction of Malawi's gay couple of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga who were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour by the country's magistrate court in the commercity of Blantyre on Thursday.

In a joint press release from British High Commission in Malawi's Capital City, Lilongwe Thursday said Britain was deeply dismayed by the conviction of the couple on the charges of buggery and indecent practices.

The statement written by Henry Bellingham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Stephen O'brien, MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Devlopment and Lynne Featherstone MP, Minister for Equality at the Home Affairs urged the government of Malawi to review its laws to ensure the defence of human rights.

"We are deeply dismayed by the conviction for buggery and indecent practices of Mr Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Mr Steven Monjeza. We are also concerned by the allegations of their mistreatment in police custody," said the three in the statement.

The press statement released the sameday the gay couple were jailed, further noted that the southern African country has made significant progress on human rights in recent years and that it has signed up to international human rights treaties adding that Malawi's constitution protects the rights of all its citizens.

The statement said infringement of these rights is intolerable and that the sentence of 14 years of the gay couple runs counter to a positive trend.

Britain says it has a close and strong partnership with Malawi and that it was in this spirit that they were raising the concerns.

" The UK believes that human rights apply to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity," reads the press release.

Britain has since urged the country to review its laws to ensure the defence of human rights for all, without discrimination on any grounds.

The country has also said it will continue to press Malawi on the issue alongside other international partners.

Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwausiwa said he gave the couple a scary sentence to scare away others who were involved in this horrendous act.

He said homosexuality was unMalawian hence giving them a 14 year sentence.

Chimbalanga and Monjeza first appeared to the public last year after they held a gay wedding before their arrest in December and since then they were denied bail before the conviction.

There are indications however, that the defence team will appeal the judgement.