WASHINGTON - Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is travelling to the United Kingdom for the coronation of King Charles on Saturday despite grumblings by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe.
According to Zimbabwean authorities, Mnangagwa is expected to arrive a day before the event. Reports say the parliamentary group is fuming over his invitation while some Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom are planning to protest over Mnangagwa’s invitation.
The British parliamentarians asked a week ago for the secretary of state to revoke the invitation, claiming that Mnangagwa's government is engaged in widespread human rights abuses.
In a letter signed by Nav Mishra, chairperson of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Zimbabwe (APPG Zimbabwe), and his vice, Lord Jonathan Oates, and several other House of Commons lawmakers, secretary James Cleverly was asked to withdraw the invitation “in light of the grave political and human rights situation in Zimbabwe.”
APPG Zimbabwe claimed that there is widespread violence and human rights abuses with opposition party members being “harassed, beaten, imprisoned and murdered, corruption is rife, extending to the highest levels of government.”
The APPG alleged that the ruling party has overrun the country’s economy, completely decimated the local currency, dismembered the judiciary, taken over the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and impoverished Zimbabweans.
APPG said the coronation invitation will be “inevitably be used by President Mnangagwa as tacit acceptance by the UK of publicly evidenced political violence and repression in the run up to the forthcoming election and will be deeply demoralizing to ordinary Zimbabweans in their struggle for democracy.
“We therefore urge the government to withdraw President Mnangagwa’s invitation until Job Sikhala MP and other political prisoners are granted their constitutional right to bail and concrete actions are taken to address human rights abuses and guarantee free and fair elections.”
Zengeza West Citizens Coalition for Change lawmaker Sikhala, who is facing charges of inciting violence, has spent nearly one year at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. He was fined US$600 for obstructing the course of justice. He still is still facing charges of inciting violence.
President Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, and information secretary Nick Mangwana were not reachable as they were not responding to calls on their mobile phone.
British High Commission officials in Harare and Cleverly were also not reachable for comment.
Britain, USA and other nations imposed targeted sanctions on some Zanu PF officials over alleged human rights abuses and election rigging.
VOA Zimbabwe Service's Godwin Mangudya and Mlondolozi Ndlovu contributed to this article