Zimbabwe
Mugabe grants amnesty on election violence

afrol.com, 11 October - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in secrecy passed an act giving amnesty to those behind the widespread and internationally condemned violence in the preparations to this years elections. The MDC opposition strongly protests against the act, although admitting that Mugabe has the right to pass it due to "the nature of our present political system."

Mugabe, in terms of his prerogative as Head of State, gazetted the so-called Clemency Order No. 1 of 2000 on 6 October. The Act pardons any one who may have committed a politically-motivated crime between 1 January and 31 July, 2000. This pardon does not extend if the offence is murder, rape, robbery, indecent assault, statutory rape, theft, possession of arms, or fraud or dishonesty.

The President of the oppositional Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, yesterday condemned the Clemency Order. He denounced the Act as "further demonstrating just how far from the rule of law Zanu PF is willing to go."

The Act was passed without any notice to the Parliamentarians of the MDC and without any consultation or debate. This is a further illustration of the flaws of the current Constitution and its extensive Presidential powers. Tsvangirai condemned the Act as one more step away from the rule of law on the part of Zanu PF. He labeled it a cynical and brazen act, creating a law which promotes injustice.

"It just shows how far this government is willing to go in ignoring calls for law and order. It serves as an encouragement for Zanu PF supporters in the future to act violently against opposition members," said Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai also questioned the constitutionality of the Act. "Mugabe is allowed to do this. That is the nature of our present political system. But whether it is justified, whether it is morally acceptable, whether it is constitutional, is much more unlikely," he said.

Tsvangirai also said that Mugabe should be warned if he thinks that while he thinks he and his supporters can enjoy impunity, the MDC has no doubt that the international community will ensure that such impunity extends only to the borders of Zimbabwe. The MDC in a press release called upon the international community to consider measures against Robert Mugabe such as those imposed against Slobadon Milosevic.

The violence prior to the elections in June cost the life of 31 Zimbabweans of all races. People were raped, tortured, lost their homes and property - mostly at the hands of supporters of the governing Zanu PF party and with the backing of the president, the military and the police. Despite the massive intimidation and possible fraud, the opposition managed to obtain some 48% of the officially counted votes. Abroad, the condemnation of Mugabe and the violence he was responsible for was uniform.

Source: Based on Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) 

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