Bodyguards for the daughter of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe who were accused of assaulting two journalists in Hong Kong will not face prosecution, an official said Tuesday.
They were accused of attacking the photographers who were investigating a story on Robert Mugabe’s assets in Asia in February. The journalists were working on behalf of Britain’s “Sunday Times” newspaper.
“In our review of the case it became clear that the (guards) were genuinely concerned for the safety of Miss (Bona) Mugabe,” the justice department said in a statement.
The two journalists, Colin Galloway and Tim O’Rourke, said the guards had held Galloway in a headlock and grabbed one of their cameras.
The lawyer for the two journalists, Michael Vidler, told AFP his clients were “most concerned” about the justice department’s move.
“This decision seems to convey the message that anyone linked to the family of Robert Mugabe or similar heads of state, can act with impunity whenever they are in Hong Kong,” he said.
“All they have to do is claim fear for their safety and they and their bodyguards can do whatever they want, even when confronted with nothing more lethal than a camera.”
The decision comes after Mugabe’s wife, Grace, was granted diplomatic immunity from prosecution over her alleged assault of a British journalist who was trying to take her picture in Hong Kong.
The Mugabes were reported to have bought a 5,8-million-US-dollar property in the city. Bona Mugabe is studying at a university in Hong Kong.
Mugabe’s regime has been internationally condemned for its politically motivated violence targeting opposition and civil activists. It entered into a power-sharing arrangement with opponents in February.