OUTSIDE LOOKING IN – A letter from the diaspora

That seems a strange interpretation of justice, shooting an unarmed man – however evil he may be without the benefit of a trial in open court. Some might argue that it is nothing more than extra-judicial execution. While ordinary Americans rushed out onto the streets in Washington to chant their triumphalist USA! USA! In the outside world there have been not a few voices questioning the legality – and morality – of the action. The narrative of Osamas death has changed in several respects from that first issued by the White House and added to that is the fact that President Obama has decided not to make public the pictures of Osama bin Ladens body on the grounds that such images might provoke revenge attacks from Al Quaida sympathisers. We are told that Osama was buried at sea within twenty four hours. Whatever the truth, we still have no hard evidence of how bin Laden was killed or the actual circumstances surrounding his death. The US acknowledges that the death of Osama does not mean the end of terrorism so what exactly was the purpose of killing him if it was nothing more than revenge? What we do know is that the killing took place inside Pakistan without that country being aware that American Special Forces were present in the country or the nature of their mission. Pakistan was not informed, the US tells us, because there was a fear that Osama would be warned by the Pakistani authorities of the plot to kill him. Not unnaturally, Pakistan has taken exception to that allegation, claiming their right as a sovereign state to have control over who enters the country.

It is that expression, sovereign state so often used by Robert Mugabe that highlights the predicament of how the world treats dictators and how it goes about bringing them to justice. Mugabe uses the expression to justify his regimes excesses with the excuse that as a sovereign state Zimbabwe has an absolute right to behave in any way it wishes. Many people have asked since the killing of Osama bin Laden: Why not Robert Mugabe or the North Korean leader? What is stopping the world from removing these ageing dictators?

Much as Zimbabweans want to see Mugabe gone, I dont believe they would welcome outside forces entering the country to remove him from power. The thought of British, American or South African forces entering Zimbabwe to assassinate the dictator or attempt to overthrow his regime would, I believe, be deeply repugnant to the average Zimbabwean. It can be argued that Osama bin Laden as the founder and leader of Al Qaeda was a very different case. Al Qaeda was after all, responsible for millions of deaths of innocent civilians not only on 9/11 in New York but in London on 7/7 in Kenya at the bombing of the US Embassy and in Pakistan itself which has felt the full brunt of Al Qaeda terrorism.

The moral question at the heart of this debate is whether a nation is justified in using extra-judicial measures to destroy the individual or organization that has threatened the security of the state and, in bin Ladens case, killed thousands of people. Do the means ever justify the end? Clearly, Mugabe and Zanu PF have no doubts on that score. The means they are using to maintain their stranglehold on power include torture, kidnapping and destruction of peoples homes. In the words of one delegate at the recent MDC Congress, Anyone who is associated with the MDC is threatened with eviction and some are actually kidnapped, beaten up. There is actually no control at all so even if our people go to the police, the police do nothing. And therein lies Zimbabwes problem: the police and army are complicit in Zanu PFs attempts to silence all opposition by any means. What needs to happen I believe is that these criminals, from Robert Mugabe down to the lowest hireling of Zanu PF, be ultimately brought to justice before the International Criminal Court in the Hague. No extra-judicial killings as was the case with Osama bin Laden; for justice to be done, it must be seen to be done by the whole world.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson who can be contacted by email at;pauline.henson@btinternet.com