via ‘Zanu PF ready to face human rights abuse charges’ – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 1, 2016
ZANU PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo says party officials are ready to stand trial for alleged human rights abuses, however, only in Zimbabwe and not abroad.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
Khaya Moyo said there were no “untouchables” in Zimbabwe, but President Robert Mugabe who is protected against prosecution by the law.
The Zanu PF spokesperson was reacting to statements by MDC-T organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe that ruling party officials “might seem untouchable now, but justice will eventually catch up with them”.
Bhebhe was referring to last week’s 40-year jail sentence on former Bosnian leader Radovan Karadzic for crimes against humanity and genocide during the 1990s.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) found Karadzic guilty of 10 out of 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities during the Bosnian war of the 1990s.
Zimbabwe is not a signatory to the Rome Statute which set up the ICC in 2002.
“The ruling is enough evidence that though wheels of justice might be slow in turning, but at some point, the guilty eventually get prosecuted.
“In Zimbabwe, millions of Zimbabweans yearn for justice for past human rights crimes against them since 1980 committed by (President Robert) Mugabe and his government.
“Their past will eventually catch up with them, and be prosecuted for crimes against humanity as long as they are alive at some point, whether locally or abroad,” Bhebhe told Southern Eye.
However, Khaya Moyo said Zanu PF officials stand ready to face the music over human rights violations but only in local courts.
“It is only the President that cannot be taken to court. That is the law, but the rest of us are subject to trial for any crimes committed,” Khaya Moyo said in a telephone interview.
“We have court systems in Zimbabwe which are working well, actually, they are regarded as some of the best in the world.
“If people know of such characters in the party (who committed human rights crimes), why are they not reporting them to be dealt with by our courts? There are no untouchables. We have efficient, legal and professional court systems in Zimbabwe.”
Mugabe has been pushing African ICC member states to pull out of the organisation citing its alleged bias against African leaders.
COMMENTS
Of course “only in Zimbabwe”, You would hate it to be a fair trial, somewhere where you can’t RIG the judgement. But there again this is not the final judgement anyway.