Zimbabwe: Zim withdraws invite to UN Rapporteur on Torture
28th October 2009
Zimbabwe has withdrawn an invitation to a United Nations (UN) expert on torture citing a busy schedule because of a visit to the country by the regional bloc’s ministerial to try and unlock a political deadlock between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Manfred Nowak, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture was expected in Zimbabwe from October 28 to November 4 to conduct a fact finding mission on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in what was going to be a first for Harare authorities to extend such an invitation to a UN Human Rights independent expert.
Nowak was expected to meet government officials, human rights institutions and civil society representatives. The Austrian law expert was also set to inspect prisons and police stations, and present a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
However, Nowak was informed upon his arrival in Johannesburg on transit to Harare, that the invitation has been withdrawn at the last minute and postponed to a yet to be announced date by government authorities who will be busy attending to a political crisis threatening the country’s coalition government.
“The Special Rapporteur was informed, that the mission had been postponed by the Government on 26 October 2009, stating that it regrets to advise that due to the previously unanticipated Consultative process currently taking place in Harare involving the Government of National Unity and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Government of Zimbabwe will be unable to receive the Special Rapporteur on the proposed dates,” reads in part a statement from the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
No official comment could be obtained from Information Minister, Webster Shamu or George Charamba, the presidential spokesperson on the matter.
A ministerial team from SADC visits Zimbabwe on Thursday to mediate a political crisis threatening a total collapse of the shaky unity government between President Mugabe and Tsvangirai after the former opposition party partially pulled out of government citing failure by Mugabe to respect a power sharing deal.
A statement from the UN said Nowak welcomed the latest mediation efforts but called upon the government to rescind a decision to withdraw his invitation to investigate torture allegations.
“The Special Rapporteur welcomes the SADC initiative and all efforts to resolve the political crisis in the country…He fails to be convinced, however, that the Consultative process on Thursday, 29 October should be a valid reason to cancel his eight-day mission at such a late stage.
“Recent allegations that MDC supporters and human rights defenders have been arrested, harassed and intimidated during the past few days, highlight the urgency of objective fact-finding by an independent UN expert at this crucial stage.
“The Special Rapporteur therefore calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to receive him in Harare and allow the mission to go ahead as planned,” the UN statement added.

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