LexisNexis Global

As we recently discussed in Zimbabwe: A Human Rights Tragedy (Oct. 15, 2009), Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and the thugs in his ZANU-PF political party have been engaged in a campaign of violence and intimidation against supporters of reformer Prime Minister Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

That there are human rights abuses occurring on behalf of Mugabe is supported by the detention and deportation of a United Nations’ human rights inspector. Manfred Nowak, a torture expert, arrived at the invitation of Zimbabwe’s government made to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

However, upon his arrival, Inspector Nowak was detained at the Harare airport by Zimbabwe authorities and held for for deportation to South Africa. Immigration officials at the airport told him that his scheduled visit with Prime Minister Tsvangirai had not been approved by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a ministry controlled by Mugabe’s political party. The prime minister’s delegation sent to pick up Inspector Nowak was denied access to Nowak and airport security told the delegation that the inspector was not there.

Under these circumstances, the coalition government is a sham with the prime minister and the MDC providing little more than window dressing for a regime that governs by the gun and fist rather than the rule of law. It is time for Prime Minister Tsvangirai to withdraw from this sham of a coalition government and for the United Nations and its members to apply serious diplomatic and economic pressure until Mr. Mugabe and his supporters can be brought to justice, free and fair elections can be held, and the rule of law and human rights can be restored.