News / Local
Bennett differs with MDC-T on Gukurahundi
16 Jul 2012 at 14:09hrs | Views
Self-exiled MDC-T treasurer, Roy Bennett has said cases of human rights abuses which happened during the 2008 Presidential election run-off and Gukurahundi massacres in the 1980s should not be swept under the carpet for political expediency.
In an emotional response to reports that MPs from the two MDC formations were last week pressured into accepting that all human rights abuses committed before February 2009 should not be investigated by the new Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Bennett said doing so was belittling the thousands of people murdered or injured in political violence.
The "amnesty" proposal is included in the Human Rights Commission Bill, but Bennett wrote on social networking site, Facebook that this was legitimising violence.
"I will never accept an amnesty. I will pursue justice till the day I die," he said.
"We cannot allow evil to triumph. We cannot allow the broken lives and broken limbs to mean nothing. If we do nothing about a killing, we are saying: your brother or sister was worth nothing. It will not do."
But his comments drew mixed feelings, with some supporting him urging retribution, while others believed bygones should be bygones.
The Zimbabwe Victims of Organised Violence Trust (ZIVOVT) also said GNU leaders should stop trying sweeping the Gukurahundi mass killings under the carpet through closed door negotiations which leave out victims.
ZIVOVT spokesperson, Percy Mcijo on Thursday said the killings of innocent and unarmed people of Matabeleland and Midlands during Gukurahundi was the "highest order of crime" and no one could negotiate such killings.
"The crime of murder is not negotiable," said Mcijo. "Who can negotiate killings without involving the victims? Politicians must stop claiming to have negotiated that such issues must not be investigated. We know they are the interested parties who may think of protecting themselves and their interests."
He said some politicians have repeatedly claimed that Gukurahundi was a closed chapter, warning that unless the issue was handled "properly" it would haunt future generations.
In an emotional response to reports that MPs from the two MDC formations were last week pressured into accepting that all human rights abuses committed before February 2009 should not be investigated by the new Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Bennett said doing so was belittling the thousands of people murdered or injured in political violence.
The "amnesty" proposal is included in the Human Rights Commission Bill, but Bennett wrote on social networking site, Facebook that this was legitimising violence.
"I will never accept an amnesty. I will pursue justice till the day I die," he said.
"We cannot allow evil to triumph. We cannot allow the broken lives and broken limbs to mean nothing. If we do nothing about a killing, we are saying: your brother or sister was worth nothing. It will not do."
But his comments drew mixed feelings, with some supporting him urging retribution, while others believed bygones should be bygones.
The Zimbabwe Victims of Organised Violence Trust (ZIVOVT) also said GNU leaders should stop trying sweeping the Gukurahundi mass killings under the carpet through closed door negotiations which leave out victims.
ZIVOVT spokesperson, Percy Mcijo on Thursday said the killings of innocent and unarmed people of Matabeleland and Midlands during Gukurahundi was the "highest order of crime" and no one could negotiate such killings.
"The crime of murder is not negotiable," said Mcijo. "Who can negotiate killings without involving the victims? Politicians must stop claiming to have negotiated that such issues must not be investigated. We know they are the interested parties who may think of protecting themselves and their interests."
He said some politicians have repeatedly claimed that Gukurahundi was a closed chapter, warning that unless the issue was handled "properly" it would haunt future generations.
Source - standard
