Washington - The United States on Thursday condemned Zimbabwe over
raids on the offices of a gay rights group and urged authorities to end a
"pattern of abuse" against civil society.
Activists said that
two truckloads of police on Monday raided offices of the group Gays and
Lesbians of Zimbabwe, rounding up 44 people in what authorities called a
search for illegal data and offensive materials.
US State
Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland condemned the raids and said
several people sustained serious injuries. She said the United States
"stands in solidarity" with Zimbabwe's gay rights activists and other
civil society.
"We are deeply concerned when security forces
become an instrument of political violence used against citizens
exercising their democratic rights," Nuland said in a statement.
"We
call upon the government of Zimbabwe to end this pattern of abuse and
to eradicate the culture of impunity that allows members of the security
sector to continue to violate the rights of the Zimbabwean people," she
said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has championed gay
rights around the world. Earlier this month on a visit to Uganda, she
honoured the "brave" rights activists fighting a proposal to punish
homosexual acts with the death penalty.
The United States and European Union maintain sanctions against Zimbabwe's veteran President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle as they press for free elections and democratic reforms.
- SAPA