Zimbabwe held their presidential election after bitter campaigning amid a decimated economy with the world’s highest inflation rate and unemployment at 80%. Many in Zimbabwe and around the world have hoped this election, held last Saturday, the 29th of March, would oust Robert Mugabe from office, and effect a change in what has become an oppressive and economically disastrous administration. Zimbabweans still do not have an official answer from the ruling party, Zanu-PF, although Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change claims he got 50.3 percent of the vote, and that Mugabe got 48%, thus negating the need for a run-off, or second election. Tensions are high as the people of Zimbabwe wait to see if their voices have been heard, and if Mugabe will listen. What has been made clear, however, is that for the first time Parliament has been won by the opposition MDC party.
New York Times reporter Barry Bearak, in Zimbabwe covering the election, was arrested among other journalists for operating as a journalist without government permission. However, government permission has not been forthcoming for this election to foreign journalists. In addition, liberal Zimbabwean newspapers must publish out of London or South Africa, for fear of government reprisal. This week police have been raiding MDC offices and arresting journalists and foreign national wherever they can find them. Mr. Bearak has been confirmed to be in a Harare jail, and the New York Times is currently negotiating for his release and attempting to ensure his good treatment.
This article highlights the inherent ambiguity of “Global Crime”. With laws that differ from nation to nation and from city to city, and a tenuous and recent international evolution of a set of truths about human rights and what SHOULD be law, whether an act is actually a crime is sometimes unclear. One of the biggest indicators to human rights watchdog groups that a leader is abrogating his citizens’ human rights is when the press is restricted in any way. As Wole Soyinka, celebrated Nigerian playwright and Nobel laureate, says, “The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”
3 comments:
I absolutely love that line: the greatest threat to freedom is the absence of critism. I have never thought of it that way, but now that I do, I see how well this describes the world. The world that we live in is a whirlwind and very confusing at times (just at times?). However, I think that for anything, absolutely anything, to become closer to "perfect," it must be refined. With refinement comes critiques and critism. These must be heard and absorbed so that a better product can be made. The fact that the Zimbabwean government is refusing to acknowledge the fact that their citizens are not satisfied and refusal to listen to their cries is a direct attack on their human rights. Hopefully this election will bring some much needed releif from the current leader.
http://www.thebirdman.org/Index/Others/
Others-GuessWhoseMansion-Tony.htm This doesn't want to paste right in here...it is a link to pics of Mugabe's mansion...hopefully it will work.
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