<div><p>A Malawian cabinet minister said Thursday she would appeal the court acquittal of a woman accused of abusing two teenage girls, amid on ongoing trial of the country's first publicly wed gay couple.</p><p>Minister of women and child development Patricia Kaliati said the 42-year-old woman, who was acquitted on Tuesday, was "persona non grata" in her constituency in the conservative nation where homosexuality is illegal.</p><p>"The law forbids women from having sex with fellow women. I don't want her to corrupt morals of my young girls," she told AFP.</p><p>"My ministry will appeal against the ruling. It sets a bad precedent. We expect the courts to protect the rights of the vulnerable. What the magistrate did in acquitting the accused is legally wrong."</p><p>Nellie Somanje was arrested last November and cleared on Tuesday of sexually assaulting and abusing her domestic workers aged 14 and 18 with the magistrate saying there was lack of evidence.</p><p>Kaliati is the latest Malawi cabinet member to back Malawi's anti-gay laws this week, with information minister Leckford Thotho on Monday defending the prosecution of a newly-wed gay couple.</p><p>The two men, who face up to 14 years in prison if convicted, have pleaded not guilty to the charge but are still in police custody after a magistrates court denied them bail.</p><p>Their trial resumes on Monday.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=67458583&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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