diff --git a/src/basic_api.cc b/src/basic_api.cc
index c1f4009..b2be618 100644
--- a/src/basic_api.cc
+++ b/src/basic_api.cc
@@ -4,21 +4,6 @@
 
 namespace pEp {
     namespace PythonAdapter {
-        void _throw_status(PEP_STATUS status)
-        {
-            if (status == PEP_STATUS_OK)
-                return;
-            if (status >= 0x400 && status <= 0x4ff)
-                return;
- 
-            if (status == PEP_OUT_OF_MEMORY)
-                throw bad_alloc();
-
-            stringstream build;
-            build << "p≡p error: " << status;
-            throw runtime_error(build.str());
-        }
-
         void update_identity(Identity& ident)
         {
             if (ident.me())
diff --git a/src/basic_api.hh b/src/basic_api.hh
index 5ebae15..b6bd1ae 100644
--- a/src/basic_api.hh
+++ b/src/basic_api.hh
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@
 
 namespace pEp {
     namespace PythonAdapter {
-        void _throw_status(PEP_STATUS status);
-
         void update_identity(Identity& ident);
         void myself(Identity& ident);
     }
diff --git a/src/Identity.cc b/src/identity.cc
similarity index 97%
rename from src/Identity.cc
rename to src/identity.cc
index 7189665..d12159c 100644
--- a/src/Identity.cc
+++ b/src/identity.cc
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ namespace pEp {
             return _ident->lang;
         }
 
-        object identity_attr(pEp_identity *&ident)
+        Identity identity_attr(pEp_identity *&ident)
         {
             pEp_identity *_dup;
 
@@ -113,8 +113,8 @@ namespace pEp {
             if (!_dup)
                 throw bad_alloc();
 
-            Identity *_ident = new Identity(_dup);
-            return object(_ident);
+            Identity _ident(_dup);
+            return _ident;
         }
 
         void identity_attr(pEp_identity *&ident, object value)
diff --git a/src/Identity.hh b/src/identity.hh
similarity index 97%
rename from src/Identity.hh
rename to src/identity.hh
index 5b080df..9c0c156 100644
--- a/src/Identity.hh
+++ b/src/identity.hh
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ namespace pEp {
             void flags(identity_flags_t flags) { _ident->flags = flags; }
         };
 
-        object identity_attr(pEp_identity *&ident);
+        Identity identity_attr(pEp_identity *&ident);
         void identity_attr(pEp_identity *&ident, object value);
 
         list identitylist_attr(identity_list *&il);
diff --git a/src/message.cc b/src/message.cc
index ac357b7..091cfcb 100644
--- a/src/message.cc
+++ b/src/message.cc
@@ -120,9 +120,11 @@ namespace pEp {
                     mimetext.size(), &_msg);
             switch (status) {
                 case PEP_STATUS_OK:
-                    if (_msg)
+                    if (_msg) {
+                        _msg->dir = PEP_dir_outgoing;
                         return;
-                    _msg = new_message(PEP_dir_incoming);
+                    }
+                    _msg = new_message(PEP_dir_outgoing);
                     break;
                     
                 case PEP_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL:
diff --git a/src/message.hh b/src/message.hh
index b345262..25e450b 100644
--- a/src/message.hh
+++ b/src/message.hh
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ namespace pEp {
             Message(PEP_msg_direction dir = PEP_dir_outgoing);
             Message(string mimetext);
             Message(const Message& second);
-            Message(message *ident);
+            Message(message *msg);
             ~Message();
             operator message *();
             void attach(message *ident);
@@ -86,13 +86,13 @@ namespace pEp {
             time_t recv() { return timestamp_attr(_msg->recv); }
             void recv(time_t value) { timestamp_attr(_msg->recv, value); }
 
-            object from() { return identity_attr(_msg->from); }
+            Identity from() { return identity_attr(_msg->from); }
             void from(object value) { identity_attr(_msg->from, value); }
 
             list to() { return identitylist_attr(_msg->to); }
             void to(list value) { identitylist_attr(_msg->to, value); }
 
-            object recv_by() { return identity_attr(_msg->recv_by); }
+            Identity recv_by() { return identity_attr(_msg->recv_by); }
             void recv_by(object value) { identity_attr(_msg->recv_by, value); }
 
             list cc() { return identitylist_attr(_msg->cc); }
diff --git a/src/message_api.cc b/src/message_api.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9141ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/message_api.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+#include "message_api.hh"
+#include <pEp/message_api.h>
+
+namespace pEp {
+    namespace PythonAdapter {
+        Message encrypt_message(Message& src, list extra, int enc_format,
+                int flags)
+        {
+            Identity _from = src.from();
+            if (_from.address() == "")
+                throw invalid_argument("encrypt_message: src.from_.address empty");
+            if (_from.username() == "")
+                throw invalid_argument("encrypt_message: src.from_.username empty");
+
+            stringlist_t *_extra = to_stringlist(extra);
+            PEP_enc_format _enc_format = (PEP_enc_format) enc_format;
+            PEP_encrypt_flags_t _flags = (PEP_encrypt_flags_t) flags;
+            message *_dst = NULL;
+
+            PEP_STATUS status = encrypt_message(session, src, _extra, &_dst,
+                    _enc_format, _flags);
+            free_stringlist(_extra);
+            _throw_status(status);
+
+            if (!_dst || _dst == src) {
+                Message dst(src);
+                return dst;
+            }
+            
+            Message dst(_dst);
+            return dst;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/src/message_api.hh b/src/message_api.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..55be578
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/message_api.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "pEpmodule.hh"
+
+namespace pEp {
+    namespace PythonAdapter {
+        Message encrypt_message(Message& src, list extra, int enc_format,
+                int flags);
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/src/pEpmodule.cc b/src/pEpmodule.cc
index 35fd7ed..5f8adb8 100644
--- a/src/pEpmodule.cc
+++ b/src/pEpmodule.cc
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <sstream>
 #include "basic_api.hh"
+#include "message_api.hh"
 
 namespace pEp {
     namespace PythonAdapter {
@@ -22,6 +23,22 @@ namespace pEp {
         {
             release(session);
         }
+
+        void _throw_status(PEP_STATUS status)
+        {
+            if (status == PEP_STATUS_OK)
+                return;
+            if (status >= 0x400 && status <= 0x4ff)
+                return;
+            if (status == PEP_OUT_OF_MEMORY)
+                throw bad_alloc();
+            if (status == PEP_ILLEGAL_VALUE)
+                throw invalid_argument("illegal value");
+
+            stringstream build;
+            build << "p≡p error: " << status;
+            throw runtime_error(build.str());
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -120,13 +137,13 @@ BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(pEp)
         .add_property("recv", (time_t(Message::*)()) &Message::recv,
                 (void(Message::*)(time_t)) &Message::recv,
                 "time when message was received in UTC seconds since epoch")
-        .add_property("from_", (object(Message::*)()) &Message::from,
+        .add_property("from_", (Identity(Message::*)()) &Message::from,
                 (void(Message::*)(object)) &Message::from,
                 "identity where message is from")
         .add_property("to", (list(Message::*)()) &Message::to,
                 (void(Message::*)(list)) &Message::to,
                 "list of identities message is going to")
-        .add_property("recv_by", (object(Message::*)()) &Message::recv_by,
+        .add_property("recv_by", (Identity(Message::*)()) &Message::recv_by,
                 (void(Message::*)(object)) &Message::recv_by,
                 "identity where message was received by")
         .add_property("cc", (list(Message::*)()) &Message::cc,
@@ -159,9 +176,17 @@ BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(pEp)
                 (void(Message::*)(PEP_enc_format)) &Message::enc_format,
                 "0: unencrypted, 1: inline PGP, 2: S/MIME, 3: PGP/MIME, 4: p≡p format");
 
+    // basic API
+
     def("update_identity", &update_identity, "update identity information");
     def("myself", &myself, "ensures that the own identity is being complete");
 
+    // message API
+
+    def("encrypt_message", &encrypt_message, "encrypt message in memory");
+
+    // init() and release()
+
     PyModuleDef * _def = PyModule_GetDef(scope().ptr());
     _def->m_free = free_module;
 
diff --git a/src/pEpmodule.hh b/src/pEpmodule.hh
index 25db5eb..23083b6 100644
--- a/src/pEpmodule.hh
+++ b/src/pEpmodule.hh
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 namespace pEp {
     namespace PythonAdapter {
         extern PEP_SESSION session;
+        void _throw_status(PEP_STATUS status);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/str_attr.cc b/src/str_attr.cc
index 3421532..aeb603d 100644
--- a/src/str_attr.cc
+++ b/src/str_attr.cc
@@ -162,10 +162,10 @@ namespace pEp {
             return result;
         }
 
-        list from_stringlist(stringlist_t *sl)
+        list from_stringlist(const stringlist_t *sl)
         {
             list result;
-            for (stringlist_t *_sl = sl; _sl && _sl->value; _sl = _sl->next) {
+            for (const stringlist_t *_sl = sl; _sl && _sl->value; _sl = _sl->next) {
                 string s = _sl->value;
                 result.append(s);
             }
diff --git a/src/str_attr.hh b/src/str_attr.hh
index 0fa01c9..d63f47d 100644
--- a/src/str_attr.hh
+++ b/src/str_attr.hh
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ namespace pEp {
         void strdict_attr(stringpair_list_t *&spl, dict value);
 
         stringlist_t *to_stringlist(list l);
-        list from_stringlist(stringlist_t *sl);
+        list from_stringlist(const stringlist_t *sl);
     }
 }