Posted Letter From Former SF Mayor Willie Brown Condemning Zimbabwe President Mugabe Opposition To Gay Equality Led To Arrest Of Two

An update from Zimbabwe and the arrest of Ellen Chadehama and Ingatius Mhambi, their attorney David Hofisi saying that police in Harare raided the offices of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, where the two are employed, and charged them under the country’s censorship laws after discovering a letter from former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown criticising Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s vehement opposition to homosexuality and to extending homosexual equality posted on the wall of the GALZ offices. The letter also praises the local gay rights advocacy group as a champion of gay equality. The police said the letter “undermined the authority of the president,” which is an offense under strict sweeping security laws that carries a punishment of a fine or brief imprisonment. Hofisi said he has not been allowed to visit the two in jail. “We asked the police to release them to us so we can come with them to court on Wednesday,” he said,” but they have denied that.” 86 year old Mugabe, who has been in power for three decades since separating from British rule, is on record saying that same sex couples are “lower than pigs and dogs,” but the arrest of gays is rare. His tenure as leader has been fraught with allegations that he and his government regularly abuse human rights, and there have been repeated calls for Mugabe to face trial at the International Criminal Court of charges of political violent, vote rigging, and violations of human rights by state agents.