AG Tomana Steps Up Legal Challenge to Western Sanctions
15 September 2011
Zimbabwean Attorney General Johannes Tomana said sanctions violate the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights provision holding that no one should
be arbitrarily deprived of his or her property
Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington
Zimbabwe Attorney General Johannes Tomana is ramping up his bid to legally
challenge sanctions put in place by Europe, the United States and others in
response to alleged human rights violations and election rigging over the
past decade, arguing that the imposition of such targeted sanctions violates
international human rights law.
Tomana notified the European Union last week of Harare’s intention to file
suit in the European Court of Justice if the bloc failed to justify its
sanctions targeting President Robert Mugabe and many of his ZANU-PF
colleagues and related companies.
The government’s chief attorney told the state-controlled Herald paper in an
interview published Thursday that sanctions violate the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights provision holding that no one should be
arbitrarily deprived of his or her property.
In addition to travel restrictions, sanctions allow the freezing of
financial assets.
Tomana called on individuals and entities affected by the U.S. measures to
seek legal recourse in the country’s courts, adding that he was available
for legal advice.
Washington and the Europe have demanded political and democratic reforms
before they will consider lifting the sanctions now in place for the better
part of a decade.
The European Union’s top diplomat for Africa on Tuesday in a meeting with
President Mugabe urged the unity government in Harare to fully implement the
2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing as a key step to removing
sanctions.
Attorney General Tomana told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that it
is high time Zimbabweans more forcefully confront the countries imposing
such sanctions.
“Take for example ZEDERA [the US Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery
Act],” Tomana said. “It is a law that can be challenged in the US courts.”
But political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
disagreed, saying the chances of Tomana succeeding in such a suit were
remote at best.