( CNN ) -- One of two gay men jailed in Malawi after they got engaged has been transferred to another prison , a human rights campaigner and gay rights activist said Wednesday . It was not clear why Steven Mojenza was moved from Chichiri prison , where he had been serving time with his partner , Tiwonge Chimbalanga . The pair was sentenced last week to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of gross indecency and unnatural acts . Though in separate cells at Chichiri , the men were able to see each other briefly `` from time to time , '' said Peter Tatchell , a London-based gay rights activist who has been advocating for the men . Gift Trapence , executive director of the Malawi-based human rights group Center for the Development of People , visited Chimbalanga in prison Wednesday and said Mojenza was not the only prisoner who was moved to another facility . Trapence said he planned to visit Mojenza at the new prison Thursday and would learn more then . Tatchell expressed fears for Mojenza 's mental and physical health . No appeal has been scheduled , Trapence said . `` The lawyers are going to submit the papers either this week or next week , '' he told CNN from Malawi . `` The court is going to give the dates for the appeal , so we ca n't speculate right now because the court has not given the date . '' Lawyers for the men are hopeful the 14-year sentence will either be reduced or thrown out on appeal , Trapence said . The two men , both in their 20s , were arrested in December at their home in Blantyre , Malawi , for professing their love in a traditional engagement ceremony . They were rounded up after news reports surfaced , charged under colonial-era sodomy laws and detained at Chichiri prison without bail . The arrests received some popular support in the conservative southern African nation , but sparked condemnation by gay-rights activists . Human-rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for the couple 's release . Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi , as it is in most African nations , and government officials have said they are simply upholding the law . Activists in Malawi , however , say they are violating the country 's constitution , which outlaws discrimination . The Malawi Law Society said the prosecution of the two men was driven by prejudice , not jurisprudence . Anthony Kamanga , Malawi 's solicitor general and secretary for justice and constitutional affairs , said the law does not conflict with the constitution and has denied the charge of prejudice .
Malawi authorities split up a couple jailed last week , activists say . Unclear why . One was moved to different facility . Couple was released last week after getting engaged .