A Zimbabwe
lesbian protesting her detention in an English asylum house
has ended her 33-day hunger strike after winning a bail
hearing, said members of OutRage! a British LGBT
rights group.
The 29-year old
Thando--who has no listed surname--fled
Zimbabwe, and later South Africa, for the United
Kingdom, seeking asylum from antigay conditions in
Africa. She was first denied entry into Britain and sent
back to South Africa. On her second attempt, she directly
requested asylum upon arrival and has been held in the
Yarls Wood asylum detention center in Bedfordshire
ever since, according to OutRage!
Thando is now
being given food and nutritional supplements at a nearby
hospital. "We are backing Thando's bail
application and her bid for asylum in the U.K. It
would be criminal to return her to the hellhole that
is Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe," said Kizza
Musinguzi, African affairs spokesperson for OutRage!
Thando said
she was subjected to beatings by her parents and the
threat of arrest while in Zimbabwe. After seeking asylum in
South Africa she was sent to a detention center there
where conditions were "appalling" and
was later subjected to further physical abuse for her
sexuality. (Advocate.com)