Commonwealth Summit, Brisbane, 6-9 October 2001
Peter Tatchell interviewed by Samuel Mungadze of The Standard newspaper, Zimbabwe
1 Mugabe has beefed up his security ahead of the Commonwealth Summit in Brisbane, with his bodyguards under-going special Russian-backed training to protect him from you and other protesters. Do you intend to confront Mugabe again?
No matter what it takes, I intend to continue seeking the arrest of President Mugabe on charges of torture and crimes against humanity – under the same international human rights laws that have been used to arrest the ex-Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic. Milosevic is under arrest. Mugabe will be next.
When President Mugabe goes to the Commonwealth Conference in Brisbane in October, I will be there. Again, I will try to arrest him – and I’ll keep trying until there is democracy and human rights for all Zimbabweans – black and white, gay and straight.
2 Are there any surprises that Mugabe should expect from you?
Mugabe knows what to expect from me. There are no surprises. My objective is to have him arrested under the UN Convention Against Torture 1984. I have nothing to hide. All my plans are in the open. Mugabe is the one who has to hide behind dozens of bodyguards because he fears being arrested and put on trial for human rights abuses.
3 Is there a possibility of you allying with other demonstrators against Mugabe?
I will be joining the big “Stop CHOGM” (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) protest on 6 October, which will attempt to peacefully blockade the Commonwealth conference venue. The “Stop CHOGM” alliance is a broad coalition of left-wing, trade union, church, women’s, student, gay, environmental and indigenous people’s organisations. The abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe is one of the key issues being highlighted by the “Stop CHOGM” protest.
My attempt to arrest Mugabe is completely separate from the mass mobilisation on 6 October. I will be acting alone, non-violently and in accordance with international human rights law. Why is Mugabe so afraid of me? My only weapons are words and the legal authority of the UN Convention Against Torture.
4 Will you seek to take legal action, as well as confronting Mugabe?
Australia and most other Commonwealth countries have signed the UN Convention Against Torture. Under this Convention the signatory states pledge to arrest any person who commits an act of torture anywhere in the world. This is the legal basis for my bid to have Mugabe arrested by the Australian authorities. If they refuse, I will try to bring a civil action against Mugabe, and if that does not work I will attempt a citizen’s arrest. My actions will seek to enforce the international law against torture, which Australia has promised to uphold.
Amnesty International, with corroboration from the Zimbabwe High Court, have evidence that Mugabe condoned the torture of The Standard journalists, Ray Choto and Mark Chavunduka, in January 1999.
“Military interrogators beat both men all over their bodies with fists, wooden planks and rubber sticks, particularly on the soles of their feet, and gave them electric shocks all over the body, including the genitals. The men were also subjected to’the submarine’ – having their heads wrapped in plastic bags and submerged in a water tank until they suffocated”.
Amnesty International news release, 21 January 1999.
During his torture, Choto was told that Mugabe had ordered them to be tortured. Mugabe has since publicly refused to condemn their torture, and has tacitly endorsed it, suggesting that the two men got what they deserved.
I will be taking with me to Australia signed affidavits from Ray Choto and Mark Chavunduka, attesting to their torture by the Zimbabwe authorities. These affidavits will be presented to the Attorney-General, with a request that he authorise Mugabe’s arrest and trial.
Given this overwhelming evidence, the Australian government has a moral and legal duty to arrest and prosecute President Mugabe on charges of torture.
5 Doesn’t Mugabe have immunity from prosecution as a serving Head of State?
The claim that Mugabe has Head of State immunity, and therefore cannot be prosecuted, is a legal fiction. Under the UN Convention Against Torture there are no exemptions. No one is immune.
Over 50 years ago, following the Nazi atrocities, the Nuremberg Tribunal verdicts established the international human rights principle that nobody is above the law. This principle still applies. It has been recently reiterated in the case of Slobodan Milosevic. He was indicted for war crimes while he was still Head of State. It was recognised that Heads of State do not have immunity from prosecution for crimes against humanity, such as torture. The indictment and arrest of Milosevic has created the precedent under which Mugabe can also be arrested and put on trial.
I hope Australia will uphold the Nuremburg principles and enforce the UN law against torture by arresting President Mugabe when he arrives in Brisbane.
If the Australian authorities refuse to arrest Mugabe, I will try to arrest him myself. International law is on my side. I will be the law upholder.
6 To what lengths are you prepared to go to get Mugabe?
I am not afraid of Mugabe or his henchmen. If he has me beaten up or killed, that will not save his regime. The international outcry would help hasten his downfall. I am prepared to bring Mugabe to justice by any peaceful means necessary. He has to be held account for his regime’s many human rights violations.
Mugabe is the person behind the current terror campaign in Zimbabwe. He is giving the green light to the torture and murder of black farm workers, white farmers and supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Mugabe has a long history of human rights abuses. As well as attacks on the gay community, he is implicated in the massacre of up to 20,000 people in Matabeleland during the 1980s, restrictions on strikes and demonstrations, the intimidation of the press and judiciary, infringements of trade union rights, and police brutality against peaceful protesters.
President Mugabe has got away with these assaults on human rights for too long. The time has come for Australia and the Commonwealth to show him that he cannot terrorise his people with impunity.