| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Thank Goodness for Racist Canadians?? |
| 2003-10-21 |
| EFL from TCS Don’t find much in Tech Central Station that I disagree with. Can’t bring myself to commend Canada for taking an action that smells too much like it belongs in a Belgium style court. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- During the many years of Apartheid, our southern African neighbours, such as Zimbabwe and Zambia, provided Nelson Mandela’s liberation organisation (and now government), the African National Congress (ANC), with practical and moral support, often at considerable risk. Today, Zimbabweans who are suffering under the murderous rule of one of Africa’s most brutal tyrants unfortunately have not been afforded the same. However it seems that the support they desperately need may come from far further away; the Canadian government is currently considering indicting Mr. Robert Mugabe on the charge of crimes against humanity. Iran killed one of your citizens. wWy are you concerned with Mugabe? A group of international lawyers has prepared draft indictment papers and has written to the Canadian Minister of Justice urging him to act swiftly against Zimbabwe’s tyrant. If the indictment goes ahead, it will be the first time that Canada’s three year old Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act will be used. Great - universal jurisdiction. The move has been supported by a number of Canadian MPs from different parties, including Dr. Keith Martin of the Alliance Party, who recently visited Zimbabwe. Should Canada proceed with the indictment, Mr. Mugabe would effectively be trapped in his country as he would run the risk of arrest and deportation to Canada if he left. (Unfortunately for Mr. and Mrs. Mugabe, this means that the shopping sprees in Paris that they so love would be a thing of the past.) Soon no American will be able to travel. There are enough leftist lawyers, countries that hate us and judges who will play along to sieze us all. The first charge in the 20 point draft indictment is that of extermination. Mr. Mugabe’s particularly heinous policies -- such as withholding food aid from people who could not demonstrate that they were ZANU PF (Mugabe’s party) supporters or who had dared to oppose his policies -- can be seen as nothing less. The indictment also cites the disappearance of people either through arrest, detention or abduction; the routine torture of Mugabe’s opponents; the persecution of groups (such as farmers and farm labourers); and, lastly, widespread imprisonment in violation of the fundamental rules of international law. Hey, at least all the Saudis, Norks and Chicoms will be in jail with us, right. Should Canada go ahead, a good many feathers -- particularly in Africa -- will be ruffled. One official I spoke with from Zimbabwe’s opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (who preferred not to be named) worried that the any potential indictment would deepen the rift between the black and white countries in the British Commonwealth. He suggested this would not necessarily be helpful to restoring democracy to Zimbabwe. This inditement idea is stupid for many reasons. Should this happen, it would be most unfortunate: Acting against Mugabe only becomes a race issue if one chooses to make it so. Responding to the Zimbabwean crisis should have nothing to do with race, but with what is right and what is wrong. It is wrong to abuse, torture and starve your population. It is right to make a public stand against such behaviour and try to bring an end to it as soon as possible. If one is accused of being racist for making a firm and unequivocal stand against Mugabe and his violent abuse of power, then Canadians should be happy to be labelled as such. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #7 I don't know Carolyn--did they REALLY say that or did you read it in the Washington Times/Moonie paper? |
| Posted by: NotMikeMoore 2003-10-22 12:11:03 AM |
| #6 I don't care how it's done, I'd just like to see Bob gone - real gone, like forever. Maybe we can accuse him of making rude comments about Bin Laden's mother or some such. There is one way for this to make sense: if Canada DOES charge Mugabe with a serious (capital) offense against say, the Canadian representative in Zimbabwe (I don't think Canada has an embassy there), and bring the matter before the UN as an attack on diplomatic personnel, they may get somewhere. What would most likely happen would be the imposition of even MORE sanctions, and the bottling up of the Zimbabwe people, along with their trash - the Zanu PF. If enough countries felt strongly enough that dozens of warrants were issued, not only for Mugabe but for any member of his political party or government, and if the governments of nations bordering Zimbabwe follow through, he could be out of there in less than a year. Of course, in the meantime, another 20,000 will probably either starve, disappear, or be killed. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-10-21 11:25:32 PM |
| #5 LOL, bully the UN... yeah. Where do you come up with stuff like this? Apropos this story... one call from Chirac, Chretien bends over, and these international lawyers are going no where. Case closed. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-10-21 10:18:28 PM |
| #4 Now is this the same Canada that didn't think Saddam needed to be brought to justice, and who said if they found him they wouldn't turn him over to the US? |
| Posted by: Carolyn Bacon 2003-10-21 10:17:35 PM |
| #3 Maybe Canada should claim Mugabe has weapons of mass destruction, bully the UN, lie to their population and just go in and take him out? |
| Posted by: NotMikeMoore 2003-10-21 9:36:16 PM |
| #2 AP, I thought about this one some more (pretty poor spell/edit job on my behalf - not to mention forgetting to dump it in Africa or Canada.) From a certain perspective it would be more honorable for Canada to worry about Zimbabwe rather than Iran because Canada has no stake in Zimbabwe. In reality, Canada's worst nightmare would be to have another country actually extradite Mugambe to Canada for trial. I do agree with the writer that Canada's symbolic gesture is better than the enablement action that South Africa is laying down. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-21 9:22:06 PM |
| #1 Better deal with your own's treatment in the hands of Iran before you dabble in such hobbies for your lawyers as Zimbabwe. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-10-21 8:36:26 PM |