Rights groups slam Britain's cricket tour

Civil rights activists have joined a chorus of disapproval over a decision by the English cricket team to go ahead with a controversial tour to Zimbabwe which began at the weekend. Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Commission, told IRIN on Tuesday that the visit was a "victory" for President Robert Mugabe's government, and would "embolden" the government to "continue with repressive policies" against its perceived opponents. "After all of the negotiations, the tour has gone ahead. It is yet another indication of Mugabe's ability to outmanoeuvre the international community," Madhuku said. The leader of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, reportedly chastised England's cricketers during his visit to the European Parliament this week, remarking that their credibility as sportsmen had been undermined because they had been used as political pawns. English team captain Michael Vaughan told British newspapers that their participation did not mean the players condoned the Zimbabwean government's policies, but rather that they were touring under obligation to the England Cricket Board (ECB). An official of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in London explained that if England withdrew from the tour, the team could face sanctions from the world's cricket governing body for failing to comply with the Future Tours Agreement. The agreement between member countries of the ICC states that tours can only be cancelled on the grounds of safety and security, or government instructions. The ECB said it could have faced a $2 million fine by the ICC and suspension from the international game if it pulled out of the tour for any other reason. In a related development, Zimbabwean authorities announced at the last minute that 13 British journalists, originally banned from covering the series, would be accredited. The apparent turnabout came after the ICC intervened. The Zimbabwean government claimed that the media ban was directed at those who had been consistently hostile to the Zimbabwean authorities. "This is a game of cricket, not politics. Those who want to bowl us out of politics will have to do it in the political stadium," George Charamba, secretary to Zimbabwe's Information Ministry, reportedly said in a statement. England has already won the first of four one-day internationals it is to play in Zimbabwe.