US embassy cable - 03HARARE1992

UNCLAS HARARE 001992 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS 
AF FOR RAYNOR 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT "ZIM'S JUDICIARY INDEPENDENT" - 
HERALD; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "Zim's judiciary independent" the 
      government-controlled daily "The Herald" (circulation 50 - 
      70,000) dedicated its September 27 editorial to declaring 
      that that local judges "fit the bill of an independent 
      judiciary."  The editorial is in response to an outpouring 
      of criticism against the country's judges and justice 
      system that is being looked at as being partisan. 
      Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "For the past three or so years the country's judges 
      and justice system have come under attack from some self- 
      appointed paragons of virtue both at home and abroad. 
      Their crime: Not defending the property rights of former 
      white commercial farmers and failing to assist the 
      opposition MDC and its web of NGOs, media houses and other 
      activists to dislodge President Mugabe and his ruling ZANU 
      PF government from power.  Judges appointed over the past 
      three years have been ridiculed and their reputation as 
      judicial officers maligned for accepting appointments to 
      replace former white judges. . .Their critics argue that 
      the independence of the judiciary was compromised when the 
      white judges, who had made it their mission to defend the 
      property rights of their kith and kin and to dislodge the 
      ruling ZANU PF from power, were forced to leave the bench. 
      However, when some of the new judges ruled against the 
      ruling ZANU PF government they were hailed as `independent' 
      even though some of them were former ZANU PF freedom 
      fighters. . .It is important to note that the integrity of 
      our justice system is not derived from what the 
      international community says about it but what the people 
      of Zimbabwe want it to be. . .In our view, our judges fit 
      the bill of an independent judiciary and should never feel 
      intimidated or inferior to those who believe their 
      integrity comes from aligning themselves to foreign 
      interests. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN