Commonwealth lawyers call for action on Zimbabwe

The Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association (CLA) insisted that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) go to Zimbabwe “as soon as possible” to investigate the continued decline in the rule of law and the threat to the independence of the judiciary, The Daily News reported on Monday. According to the report, CLA President Cyrus Das said in a statement last week that Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Don Mckinnon should immediately take “appropriate steps” to halt the decline of the situation in Zimbabwe. “The CLA calls upon the CMAG to take appropriate steps to arrest the decline of the rule of law in Zimbabwe and ensure the safeguarding of the judiciary in that country,” the statement said. Zimbabwean Foreign Affairs Minister Stan Mudenge said recently that the CMAG was not welcome in Zimbabwe and declared the proposed visit illegal. However, according to the report, the CMAG had written a detailed letter to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on the proposed visit. The mission to Zimbabwe would consist of the foreign affairs ministers of Barbados, Australia and Nigeria.