awareness organisation after they posted a letter in their office from Willie
Lewis Brown, former mayor of San Francisco, criticising the Zimbabwean
president’s opposition to homosexuality.
and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (Galz) organisation. They were arrested on allegations
under Zimbabwe’s censorship laws on Friday.
tomorrow – today is a public holiday in Zimbabwe – after police seized the
letter from the organisation’s suburban offices.
authority of the president,” an offence under sweeping security laws carrying a
penalty of a fine or brief imprisonment.
jail over the weekend.
to court tomorrow, but they have denied that,” he said.
gay rights. Brown did not respond to requests for comment left at his San
Francisco office by The Associated Press.
as “lower than dogs and pigs”; but arrests of gays are rare in Zimbabwe.
gained independence from Britain. Last year, he entered a power-sharing
coalition government with his longtime rival Morgan Tsvangirai following a
disputed 2008 election. However, the fragile partnership has been fraught with
disagreements, including allegations that Mugabe’s party has not done enough to
promote democratic reforms.
the International Criminal Court on charges of political violence, vote-rigging
and human rights violations by state agents over the past decade.
Malawi, a judge sentenced a gay couple to a maximum 14 years in prison with hard
labour after the men celebrated their engagement with a party at a hotel.
could be sentenced to life in prison and “repeat offenders” could be executed.
Even in South Africa, the only African country that recognises gay rights, male
gangs have raped lesbians.
