One of the two men currently imprisoned in Malawi for engaging in a same-sex marriage has vowed to become a martyr rather than give in to homophobia, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian.

Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, who has maintained contact with the Malawi men, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, since they were first arrested in December, told The Guardian that he's received a defiant message from Chimbalanga: "I love Steven so much. If people of the world cannot give me the chance and freedom to continue living with him as my lover, then I am better off to die here in prison. Freedom without him is useless and meaningless."

Tatchell also quoted Monjeza, who he said is thin and weak with jaundiced eyes: "We have come a long way and even if our family relatives are not happy, I will never stop loving Tiwonge."

The two men, who face three charges of unnatural practices between males and gross indecency, are due in court on Tuesday, when a judge is expected to announce his verdict in their case.

Read the full Guardian story here.