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Mugabe criticises media, judiciary

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe said four of the country’s Supreme Court judges had “over-reacted” in asking him to comment on the illegal detention and torture of two journalists by military police and should therefore resign. In an unscheduled nationwide television broadcast on Saturday night, Mugabe was commenting on a letter he received from the Supreme Court judges saying the rule of law had been brought into question by the detention of the journalists last month. He instead challenged the judges themselves to resign: “Some of our judges have shocked us by behaving in a manner we regard as unbecoming. They have over-reacted, and indeed they have forgotten their professional role as judges, which is to sit and hear cases in court and pass judgements on them.” The only honourable choice would be for them to quit the bench and join the “political forum”, he said. In his address, Mugabe also cited “insidious attempts by British agents planted or recruited in Zimbabwe to bring disaffection amongst us”. He also criticised the independent press, human rights and church groups over the furore that followed the detention and torture last month of the editor of ‘The Standard’, Mark Chavunduka, and Ray Choto, a staff journalist, for publishing a report alleging a coup plot in the Zimbabwe army. “This falsehood was given to readers of this country who should be the beneficiaries of press freedom,” he said. The press, he added, “think they have the freedom to disparage, deride, malign, libel and viciously attack others with impunity, mischievously interpreting this freedom or right of expression to mean the right to instigate and even incite arms of Government, including the Army to mutiny or to turn against the appropriately elected Government of the day.” Before journalists were released last month, the military had repeatedly ignored a high court order to let them go. In a reaction to Mugabe’s remarks, Iden Whetherell, deputy editor of the ‘Zimbabwe Independent’ said the country’s independent media were “outraged” at the way Mugabe had attempted to justify the action against the journalists. “This is a total repudiation of the rule of law,”he said. “If the president does not respect the judiciary and the rule of law, then there is a serious concern for the safety of ordinary Zimbabweans. Overall, the speech reflected a justification of cruelty.”

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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