WASHINGTON DC —
The South African Police Service is asking the country’s Constitutional Court to reverse a decision compelling them to investigate alleged torture and crimes against humanity that took place in Zimbabwe in 2007.
The Southern African Litigation Centre and the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum based their case in the courts last year on a dossier detailing alleged politically motivated attacks on the opposition Movement for Democratic Change supporters in 2007 leading to the ruling forcing the South African police to arrest and investigate people named in the document as perpetrators.
South Africa is signatory to the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
But South African police attorney Jakobus Meier in his appeal said the Rome statute did not create universal jurisdiction and was not binding to non-members such as Zimbabwe.
Prosecutor-general Johannes Tomana previously told VOA that the ruling by South Africa’s Supreme Court might spark a diplomatic tiff between the two neighbouring countries.
Tomana described the ruling as “absurd” and showing grave contempt of Zimbabwe’s sovereignty.
Attorney and Zimbabwe Exiles Forum director Gabriel Shumba said the excuse by Pretoria not to prosecute is not convincing.
The Southern African Litigation Centre and the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum based their case in the courts last year on a dossier detailing alleged politically motivated attacks on the opposition Movement for Democratic Change supporters in 2007 leading to the ruling forcing the South African police to arrest and investigate people named in the document as perpetrators.
South Africa is signatory to the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
But South African police attorney Jakobus Meier in his appeal said the Rome statute did not create universal jurisdiction and was not binding to non-members such as Zimbabwe.
Prosecutor-general Johannes Tomana previously told VOA that the ruling by South Africa’s Supreme Court might spark a diplomatic tiff between the two neighbouring countries.
Tomana described the ruling as “absurd” and showing grave contempt of Zimbabwe’s sovereignty.
Attorney and Zimbabwe Exiles Forum director Gabriel Shumba said the excuse by Pretoria not to prosecute is not convincing.