In Capetown, South Africa, six men have been arrested for murdering a teenager, stoning her to death because she was a lesbian, according to news reports. Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, was reportedly stabbed and stoned to death by a mob of young people in Khayelitsha on Feb. 4, reports 365Gay.com.
The suspects arrested in the case are between the ages of 17 and 19. They are slated to appear in court to hear murder charges read against them.
The New York-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joined two South African groups—the Forum for the Empowerment of Women and the Triangle Project—in condemning the killing and called for an end to continuing violence against lesbian women in South Africa. ‘The international community must be alerted to this pattern of violence against women being abused, beaten and murdered, particularly in the traditional township areas, because they do not conform to prescribed gender norms,’ said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC’s executive director.
In addition, the gay-rights group Triangle Project has lashed out at South Africa’s Sunday Times for publishing a picture of four lesbians, including Nkonyana, News24.com reported. Despite warnings from the organization of hate crimes against gay and lesbian people in the traditional township areas, the newspaper published the picture of Nkonyana along with three members of her lesbian football club.