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UN âletting torturer escapeâ
The United Nations broke its own anti-torture convention by allowing a Zimbabwean police officer accused of torture to leave its peace force in Kosovo and return to Zimbabwe where he will probably not face investigation. We talked about this guy before here, I believe he working for the UN in Kosovo as a "instructor". Henry Dowa, a Zimbawe chief inspector, was named by several victims as having directed their torture, which included prolonged beatings on the soles of their feet and electric shocks causing convulsions. The victimsâ allegations were backed by medical examinations. Human rights groups urged the UN to arrest Chief Insp Dowa and put him on trial for torture. The UN declined, citing a lack of funds, and sent him back to Zimbabwe. A trial would have been embarassing to the UN, they just want this problem to go away. There had been plans to get Mr Dowa extradited to stand trial in Britain where some of his alleged victims now live. Redress, the London organisation which works for justice for survivors of torture, claimed that the UN had managed to break its own treaty by allowing Mr Dowa to evade arrest. The group said yesterday it was unlikely Mr Dowa would be "held accountable for his alleged crimes, as torture is endemic and part of the Zanu-PF governmentâs strategy to stay in power". No, really? Last week Mr Dowa was seen driving a police Land Rover in Harare. Back to work. "What is the UN doing? By sending him back here they are allowing him to torture another day. If the UN does not help us, who is going to protect us from known torturers?" a Zimbabwean journalist said. Well, it sure ainât the UN. Posted by: Steve 2003-10-03 |
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