Gay Today: World

Tatchell: UK Fails to Protest Mugabe Bodyguards' Attack

Compiled By GayToday

London, England--Peter Tatchell, who recently endured an assault by President Mugabe's Zimbabwean bodyguards in Belgium, has deplored the British Government's failure to protest the attack as well as its refusal to enforce the 1984 UN Convention Against Torture.

In a feature article posted on the Rainbow Network Web site Tatchell reports:

UK gay activist Peter Tatchell says the British government is failing to protest the attack by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's bodyguards against Tatchell

“Several weeks after I was beaten up and knocked unconscious by President Mugabe's bodyguards in Brussels, the British Foreign Office still has not protested to Zimbabwe. No public rebuke. Not even a private murmur of displeasure!

“When a British citizen is battered by a dictatorial regime, and left lying in the gutter, the Foreign Secretary usually lodges a formal diplomatic protest. But not in my case. Why not?

“Nor has the Foreign Office protested to the Belgian government at the way its police and security services stood back and allowed me to be assaulted by Mugabe's henchmen, and then refused to arrest my assailants.

“Since the Foreign Secretary has talked a lot recently about upholding the international rule of law, I asked the British government to request the extradition and prosecution of the Zimbabwean agents responsible for the attacks on me. To date, I have heard nothing. Complacency? Incompetence? Cowardice? Appeasement? Who knows!

"The Belgians are no better. Many members of the public wrote to the Belgian Ambassador to London, Lode Willems, to protest at the way Brussels police and security service officials neglected their duty to protect me against assault and to arrest my attackers. The Ambassador assured them that his government would "receive and deal with" any complaint that I made. Fine words. But no action.

"I am now seeking advice from human rights lawyer Ben Cooper about what legal action I could bring against the Belgians. In addition to the assault issue, there is the separate matter of my right to free speech. At the time of my attempted citizen's arrest of Mugabe, Belgian police and security service officers clamped their hands over my mouth to stop me from speaking. This was not to protect the President, but to prevent me from expressing my opinion.

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“There is also the question of compensation for my injuries. Doctors doubt there will be any permanent damage. But the healing process is taking longer than expected. I am still experiencing periodic memory loss, a bit of mental confusion and slightly diminished coherence of thought and speech. Vision in both eyes is impaired. Although the blurring in the left eye has cleared, my long distance vision is still not very good. Specialists now say it may take another 2 or 3 months for me to recover.

“But the abuse of my rights by the Belgians and Zimbabweans is not, of course, the main issue. What is really important is to stop the far worse violation of human rights in Zimbabwe.

“Britain, Belgium and almost every other country in the world have signed the 1984 UN Convention Against Torture. They have ratified it, but they are not enforcing it! This is the problem. It should not be left to me to attempt to enforce the law by making a citizen's arrest. The apprehension of torturers is the responsibility of the signatory governments.

“Over 50 years ago, following the Nazi atrocities, the Nuremberg Tribunal verdicts established the principle that no one is above the law. That principle still applies. It is time the victors over Nazism--countries like Britain and Belgium--started applying the law against torture to prosecute President Mugabe - and all torturers everywhere.

“Peter Tatchell”