British House of Lords members says Mnangagwa is worse than Mugabe

British House of Lords members, who are life peers, including vocal former Labour Vauxhall MP for 30 years Baroness Kate Hoey, have gravely condemned exacerbating authoritarian political repression in Zimbabwe, saying President Emmerson Mnangagwa is worse than the late ex-president Robert Mugabe in terms of despotic rule.

Hoey is familiar with the situation in Zimbabwe, having spent years deeply engaged with it as an MP.

The Lords cited the brutal attack of human rights lawyer Obey Shava last night in Harare by unknown assailants suspected to be state security agents or Zanu-PF activists, protracted detention of main opposition MP Job Sikhala and abduction of CCC activists Joanna Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri, among other problems.

Zimbabwe wants to go back to the Commonwealth, a grouping of mainly former British colonies, and the global community of nations after it was rendered a pariah state by Mugabe.