A gay couple who were jailed in Malawi have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Mr Mutharika said he had ordered their immediate release.
Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were given 14-year jail terms after being convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts.
The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.
Correspondents say Malawi is a deeply conservative society where religious leaders equate same-sex liaisons with Satanism.
Mr Mutharika, who has in the past dismissed homosexuality as alien, said he had set them free on humanitarian grounds.
"These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws," he said.
"However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions."

bbc.co.uk