Robert
Mugabe |
The
government has made it clear that it does not tolerate violation
of human rights and private property by foreign countries.
Foreign Minister Phil Goff has made public a list comprising
of the head of state, cabinet ministers, heads of armed
services, police and intelligence agencies, and several
top public servants, of Zimbabwe from entering this country.
Robert
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, with
an iron fist for more than 20 years. Elections have been
regularly rigged to ensure his re-election to the presidency.
Mugabe's
regime is known for illegal confiscation of people's land
and homes with blatant disregard for the rule of law.
Similar
practices take place in several other countries with long-ruling
dictators around the world. New Zealand and the rest
of the civilised world have placed them all on notice.
This
is a clear warning to dictators and megalomaniacs that they
can no longer hide behind sovereign immunity. The civilised
world is assuming collective responsibility to bring these
perpetrators of crimes against humanity to international
justice. Soon there will be nowhere for them to hide.
"I,
Helen Clark, Prime Minister, hereby affirm that
the New Zealand Government does not tolerate
torture within New Zealand and is committed to working
for the eradication of torture everywhere".
—
The Right Honourable Miss Helen Clark, MP, Prime
Minister of New Zealand
|
Torture
Torture
is an indictable crime against humanity pursuant
to Article 7 of the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court.
|
The following is a list of
methods of torture employed in one particular jurisdiction.
The perpetrators of these crimes against humanity are now
liable to be prosecuted under International Law.
- Solitary
confinement by itself or together with one or more of
the following methods of torture. Most solitary confinement
cells are made of corrugated iron with barely enough room
to move the body. There is no room to lie down. In the
sun, the temperatures in these cells could exceed 40 degrees
Celsius.
- Handcuffing
for extended periods, which may last months. Handcuffs
are used to cuff together all four limbs in all imaginable
permutations and combinations.
- Putting
in stocks: The victim is restrained with his or her
ankles and wrists locked in tiny holes in a block of
wood. The victim remains bent and does not have the
use of his/her hands when eating. Defecation and urination
is done on the spot and the victim remains with his
or her own human waste for days on end. Victims of the
stocks almost invariably suffer from spinal conditions
for life, if they survive this ordeal.
- Hanging
by the arms, legs, fingers and toes.
- Using
a bulldozer to haul the cuffed victim on top of a sand
dune about 2-3 metres high and letting him roll down
on a base of sharp stone chips. This procedure is carried
out repeatedly for hours on end.
- Electric
shock. In most cases, the victim is made to stand on
a sheet of corrugated iron and low voltage electricity
is applied. (This is a common method used for premeditated
murder)
- Gang
rape of women prisoners. Sometimes other women inmates
are forced to watch this in order to inflict psychological
torture on them. (Those who have been forced to
watch this are known to have hung themselves)
- Urinating
and defecating on victims. Very senior personnel in
attendance usually carry this out while the victim is
undergoing another method of torture.
- "Mounting
on the angle": The victim’s arms are passed backwards
through the vertical bars (about 60 cm apart) of the
vent above the door in a prison cell. The wrists are
then tightly handcuffed. The body is left dangling for
hours at a time. The victim almost invariably has both
shoulders and/or elbows dislocated during this exercise.
- Indiscriminate
beating. Often officials wearing military-style boots
stomp on the victim. (in one well-documented case,
a 17 year old youth was beaten up on the spinal area,
in the interrogation room. He was paralysed for life)
- Lashed
to trees in front of cell blocks. Female victims are
left in various degrees of nakedness
- Forcing
detainees to stand on a chair for hours with arms outstretched
and a heavy object in each palm
- Made
to squat on the toes, with a length of timber between
the upper and lower legs, tightly tucked behind the
knee. The weight of the body results in the dislocation
of the knee by a slow process
