Opinion / Columnist
Does the West, in particular, the US really respect human rights?
30 Oct 2022 at 09:03hrs | Views
The continued incarceration of Job Sikhala, Gift Sithole and other CCC activists has become a global story as those in the political fray have waded in calling for their release.
The calls have come from civic organisations as well as the West-led governments.
A matter that involves the justice system has been turned political as those that are against the Zanu PF-led government believe the continued detentions have nothing to do with justice but are politically motivated.
The US government which has called for their release is full of hypocrisy, some readers need to read stories of the Guantanamo prison. This is a detention centre off the Cuban coast, opened during the era of George Bush when he began what he called "The War on Terror ", after the attacks on US by suspected terrorists.
To this day there are still more than 40 detainees held without charge, with limited or without legal representation. These detainees have been held in the US-run facility for more than two decades with no charges laid against them!
Fast track to the present day and you hear the US lecturing the Zimbabwe government on human rights.
If this is not pure hypocrisy then what is it?
Maybe they think the Guantanamo facility is not known further beyond. They can not lecture on human rights when they have denied foreign detainees held there about rights they are denying others.
It is not the first time Sakhala has had a brush with the law. And to those familiar with the law, what happens if one stays on the path of a repeat offender?
The justice system must do what it is mandated to do without undue external influence. People can't at one-time claim justice has been served and then on the other time claim State interference on the same institution you praised earlier on.
As for those that view the West as a beacon of human rights go deeper and see how they have denied those rights to people in their custody.
As long as they do differently to what they preach their calls will be irrelevant and their hypocrisy will be exposed.
The calls have come from civic organisations as well as the West-led governments.
A matter that involves the justice system has been turned political as those that are against the Zanu PF-led government believe the continued detentions have nothing to do with justice but are politically motivated.
The US government which has called for their release is full of hypocrisy, some readers need to read stories of the Guantanamo prison. This is a detention centre off the Cuban coast, opened during the era of George Bush when he began what he called "The War on Terror ", after the attacks on US by suspected terrorists.
To this day there are still more than 40 detainees held without charge, with limited or without legal representation. These detainees have been held in the US-run facility for more than two decades with no charges laid against them!
If this is not pure hypocrisy then what is it?
Maybe they think the Guantanamo facility is not known further beyond. They can not lecture on human rights when they have denied foreign detainees held there about rights they are denying others.
It is not the first time Sakhala has had a brush with the law. And to those familiar with the law, what happens if one stays on the path of a repeat offender?
The justice system must do what it is mandated to do without undue external influence. People can't at one-time claim justice has been served and then on the other time claim State interference on the same institution you praised earlier on.
As for those that view the West as a beacon of human rights go deeper and see how they have denied those rights to people in their custody.
As long as they do differently to what they preach their calls will be irrelevant and their hypocrisy will be exposed.
Source - AT Kadada
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