News / National
ICC, glorified kangaroo court says Chinamasa
04 Mar 2012 at 07:07hrs | Views
NO amount of coercion will force Zimbabwe to accept the issue of gay rights, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa has said. Addressing the High Level Segment of the 19th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Minister Chinamasa said the council failed to be transparent in dealing with issues of abuses.
Zimbabwe, Minister Chinamasa said, was concerned with the nature of the International Criminal Court.
He said it was alien in the Zimbabwean culture although some countries persist in foisting in their views on the country.
"Those who are seemingly buying into this alien value and accept it are enticed by the prospect of receiving financial rewards with or without realising that they are furthering imperialist designs."
Minister Chinamasa spoke against the issue of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender through the Kapmala Declaration.
The LGBT and internet freedoms are part of the agenda during the meeting.
"LGBT is unacceptable to us and to those sharing similar cultural and religious beliefs and values. No amount of sugar coating, re-branding or aid dangling will make this alien value acceptable to the Zimbabwe people."
He said countries advocating for internet freedoms speak "with forked tongues" condoning the practice when it's being used against some countries.
"In their own respective environments, internet services are always blocked whenever the users share vital information that is considered of a security nature or deemed anti-establishment.
"In fact, even some electronic media broadcasters are being removed from some broadcasting platforms because of broadcasting what is considered alternative views and ideas."
He castigated the ICC for targeting Africans and a few East Europeans.
"I would like to repeat what I said in October 2011 . . . given the spectrum of those who have been indicted, the ICC remains, in our view, a glorified kangaroo court lacking impartiality," he said.
Minister Chinamasa said people who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity remain free while it remains taboo to name them because as they have manipulated the system.
"Furthermore, there are some countries that maintain that they will not allow the ICC or any foreign court to try their citizens, yet the same countries are calling other countries to surrender their nationals to stand trial at the ICC. What hypocracy!
"Why preace human rights and democracy but practice murder, racism, assassinations and war mongering?"
Minister Chinamasa said although the HRC remains alert in monitoring gross and systematic violations of human rights, it has failed to be transparent.
"The HRC, like its precursor, the Commission of Human Rights, has regrettably fallen into the trap of selective targeting and politicisation of some of those sessions.
"We are deeply perturbed that some of the Special Sessions were all but a cover for setting purely political scores with the aim of achieving the illegal regime change agenda."
Zimbabwe, Minister Chinamasa said, was concerned with the nature of the International Criminal Court.
He said it was alien in the Zimbabwean culture although some countries persist in foisting in their views on the country.
"Those who are seemingly buying into this alien value and accept it are enticed by the prospect of receiving financial rewards with or without realising that they are furthering imperialist designs."
Minister Chinamasa spoke against the issue of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender through the Kapmala Declaration.
The LGBT and internet freedoms are part of the agenda during the meeting.
"LGBT is unacceptable to us and to those sharing similar cultural and religious beliefs and values. No amount of sugar coating, re-branding or aid dangling will make this alien value acceptable to the Zimbabwe people."
He said countries advocating for internet freedoms speak "with forked tongues" condoning the practice when it's being used against some countries.
"In their own respective environments, internet services are always blocked whenever the users share vital information that is considered of a security nature or deemed anti-establishment.
He castigated the ICC for targeting Africans and a few East Europeans.
"I would like to repeat what I said in October 2011 . . . given the spectrum of those who have been indicted, the ICC remains, in our view, a glorified kangaroo court lacking impartiality," he said.
Minister Chinamasa said people who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity remain free while it remains taboo to name them because as they have manipulated the system.
"Furthermore, there are some countries that maintain that they will not allow the ICC or any foreign court to try their citizens, yet the same countries are calling other countries to surrender their nationals to stand trial at the ICC. What hypocracy!
"Why preace human rights and democracy but practice murder, racism, assassinations and war mongering?"
Minister Chinamasa said although the HRC remains alert in monitoring gross and systematic violations of human rights, it has failed to be transparent.
"The HRC, like its precursor, the Commission of Human Rights, has regrettably fallen into the trap of selective targeting and politicisation of some of those sessions.
"We are deeply perturbed that some of the Special Sessions were all but a cover for setting purely political scores with the aim of achieving the illegal regime change agenda."
Source - ziana
