Malawi
Background
The population of Malawi is estimated to be 19.8 million. According to a 2018 census, 77.3% of the total population is Christian,13.8% is Muslim. 2.1% of the population is religiously unaffiliated, while other religions constitute 5.6%. Muslims in Malawi are concentrated mainly in the southern end of Lake Malawi.
‘Blasphemy’ laws
Penal Code of Malawi criminalizes insult to religion under “Chapter XIV: Offenses Relating to Religion” such offenses are punishable by a one-year prison sentence.
127: Insult to religion of any class:
Any person who destroys, damages, or defiles any place of worship or any object that is held sacred by any class of persons with the intention of thereby insulting the religion of any class of persons, or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage, or defilement as an insult to their religion, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
129: Trespassing on burial places: Every person who with the intention of wounding the feelings of any person or of insulting the religion of any person, or with the knowledge that the feelings of any person are likely to be wounded, or that the religion of any person is likely to be insulted thereby, commits any trespass in any place of worship or in any place of sepulture or in any place set apart for the performance of funeral rites or as a depository for the remains of the dead, or offers any indignity to any human corpse, or causes disturbance to any persons assembled for the purpose of funeral ceremonies, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
130: Writing or uttering, words with intent to wound religious feelings:
Any person who, with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any other person, writes any word, or any person who, with the like intention, utters any word or makes any sound in the hearing of any other person or makes any gesture or places any object in the sight of any other person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be liable to imprisonment for 1 year.
Only one case has been found by USCIRF, otherwise, no records could be found for the use of these Articles.