ZANU-PF officials in Zimbabwe's troubled power-sharing government on Wednesday blocked a scheduled visit by a United Nations expert on torture to investigate alleged attacks on members of the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Unnamed government authorities barred the entry of UN torture investigator Manfred Nowak citing the ongoing crisis talks within the national unity government.
Novak told reporters in Johannesburg he hopes the government will reconsider and allow him into the country.
Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Anna Moyo, who met with Nowak on Tuesday in South Africa, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Chris Gande that Harare's refusal to admit Nowak is likely to ensure that Western sanctions targeting top ZANU-PF officials will remain in place.