Zimbabwe court allows Mugabe opponents to leave
Zimbabwe court allows Mugabe opponents to leaveBy Reuters
Thursday March 22, 2007 [12:35]
Zimbabwe's High Court has allowed two opposition officials to travel abroad for medical treatment after they were barred from leaving the country by police last weekend, official media reported on Thursday. The reversal came days after police said that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and dozens of others arrested on March 12 in a rally against President Robert Mugabe could not leave the southern African nation until they appeared in the court.
High Court judge Barat Patel ordered that Sekai Holland and Grace Kwinje, who were arrested again on Saturday as they tried to board a flight to South Africa, be released and their travel documents returned, according to the Herald newspaper. Patel said Kwinje and Holland, who said they were beaten by police in custody, could leave the country but should inform the police before doing so.
On Monday, the High Court also ordered the release of Arthur Mutambara, who heads a splinter faction of the Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), after his arrest on Saturday as he tried to leave for Zimbabwe's southern neighbor. A court hearing for those arrested in the anti-Mugabe prayer rally was canceled last week after a state prosecutor ordered that the detainees, including a bruised Tsvangirai, be taken to hospital for treatment.
Pictures of an injured Tsvangirai on his way to hospital drew international outrage. The United States and Britain led a chorus of Western criticism of Mugabe and threatened to impose more sanctions against the 83-year-old ruler and his government. Mugabe's government this week summoned and warned Western diplomats in Harare that they would be expelled if they meddled in local politics. Mugabe has accused the West of funding the MDC to topple him from power amid a deepening economic crisis.
posted by MrK @ 5:11 PM
9 Comments:
What a strange dictatorship Zimbabwe is.
- The judiciary is independent.
- The opposition is represented in parliament
How many of the west's 'allies' can claim the same thing?
The hypocrisy is incredible. The hatchet job being done on Zimbabwe is no different than the false reporting on Iraq prior to the attack on that country.
Remember that even during apartheid South Africa, some judges, through the agency of ‘judicial activism’, handed out just decisions that run contrary to the apartheid ideology prevailing at the time. Was the judiciary independent? Not by a long shot
A few 'just decisions' cannot be compared to the regular finding of Zimbabwean judges against the State.
During apartheid, no one in the West called South Africa 'a dictatorship'. Even though unlike Zimbabwe, the main opposition party was banned.
No one called Vorster, Botha et all 'dictators'.
The opinion of the apartheid government was always represented in BBC news articles, while the ANC's point of view was almost never represented.
And what is more, they want the Zimbabwean state to pay market value for Zimbabwean land.
But they will not pay market value for Zambian mineral resources, and they are poised to institute a similar deal in Zimbabwe, under the MDC.
What, among many other things, is wrong with this picture?
There is a lot wrong with this picture! The fact that the apartheid state was only dismantled little more than 10 years ago does not pass the smell test irrespective of the many odor neutralizers that have been offered in the form of rationalizations, justifications etc. The callous truth is that the west is unmoved, ambivalent to the suffering of blacks and has always been. It is also true that the targeting of whites in Zimbabwe was the catalyst for western hue and cry. Where was the outcry, the intervention when the ndebele’s were targeted in Matabeleland? It stinks. The whole thing really stinks. But those ‘just decisions’ against the apartheid state MrK, were not negligible, neither were they as trifling as you seem to suggest. Those judges are icons. They are icons for their valor and uncompromising fidelity to principles of natural justice even in the face of brutal retaliation. Their contribution should not be minimized neither should it be trivialized. Also, we part company when you claim that the judiciary’s findings against the Zimbabwean state are ‘regular.’ Not by a stretch. I am sure you are well aware of several judges that have since fled Zimbabwe due to a legitimate fear of reprisal for their activism.
" Where was the outcry, the intervention when the ndebele’s were targeted in Matabeleland? "
Again, that seems to me to be something that got out of hand. The (North-) Korean trained 5th Brigade did what the (South-) Korean Tiger Division did back in Vietnam.
Not excusable, but then again, it was not repeated either, was it?
And, what was the role of the South African security forces in creating chaos in that South African border region in the first place? What exactly was their role in the 'Ndebele resistance' in that area?
And how can President Mugabe be blamed for that, like he is being blamed for everything else? Besides, isn't that 20 years ago?
No, the entire focus is off the MDC, and yet this is the government the people of Zimbabwe will be saddled with when the west has it's way.
"And how can President Mugabe be blamed for that?"
So Mugabe comes out lily white. You are not seriously trying to absolve Mugabe from guilt in Matabeleland.
"Besides, isn't that 20 years ago?"
It's in the past therefore it's irrelevant? How many decades did apartheid span? Why don't we just put it all behind us and be bosom buddies now? So what that multiple thousands lost life, limb,family,dignity and ultimately innocence? C'mon guys it's all good now--get over it! Hmm I think i've heard that argument before. Wonder where...?
" So Mugabe comes out lily white. You are not seriously trying to absolve Mugabe from guilt in Matabeleland. "
You are saying that there was no South African / CIA involvement, like there had been in in Mozambique only 10 years earlier? With the 'Third Force' in full swing in South Africa itself?
Do you think it is a coincidence that all the websites I have seen are trying to paint this as a 'tribal conflict' between Shona and Ndebele? The exact same way they tried to paint the killings in KwaZulu-Natal as a tribal conflict between the ANC and the IFP? (In the words of their favorite Conservative Party tool, William Waldegrave?)
Why is it that all the anti-Mugabe websites are trying to portray him as some kind of screeching animal?
I would say, this is the company you keep, and it does not bode well for the future of the people of Zimbabwe.
Maybe your 'supporters' didn't get the message, but all the MDC has to offer, is an end to sanctions. And from there on, the sell-out of Zimbabwe's resources. Which Mugabe refused to do, unlike Tsvangirai.
He is a neoliberal stooge if ever there was one.
" It's in the past therefore it's irrelevant? "
It is a bit old hat. There were many actors involved, however, you only want to blame Robert Mugabe for that.
So how about the future.
Why would Morgan Tsvangirai make such a great president?
"I would say, this is the company you keep"
You are not in a position to make any assumptions about the company I keep, or anything else about me for that matter.
"Maybe your 'supporters' didn't get the message"
[sigh] Who are these now? Wow. I am just a simple Zambian that came here to discuss issues of political and economic significance and was so naive to think we could actually learn from each other and have an intelligent, rational and respectful debate. And who knows maybe expand this initiative to something viable in practice? Silly me. This is a good initiative it really is, and thanks for providing the post articles for us more impoverished diasporians. But for future reference, a deviation from your opinion should not be met with gross assumptions, insults and personal attacks. It will only stifle debate and send your contributors packing.
And finally,
"Why would Morgan Tsvangirai make such a great president?"
Show me where I ever said he would.
Thank you for letting me know what 'goes' on my site.
However, you did not identify yourself as any particular party. Obviously, I can only guess your affiliation with what you post.
Anyone familiar with the old Dear Mr President guestbook at ZOL knows what I am talking about.
What I am looking for is on-topic discussion of the issues of the day.
I like the way that things are going, with Mwanawasa suppporting a SADC based approach.
MrK
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