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US Denies Zimbabwe Beating Claims


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U.S. Denies Zimbabwe Beating Claims

Wed Nov 20, 4:59 PM ET

By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department said Wednesday the Zimbabwe government engaged in "complete fabrications" in asserting that U.S. Embassy personnel were responsible for a violent incident at a farm last Friday.

In the incident, a Zimbabwean employee of the embassy and another Zimbabwean traveling with him were beaten and suffered serious injuries.

The state-owned Herald newspaper said Tuesday the visitors were trespassing on a farm occupied by supporters of President Robert Mugabe and allegedly threw food from a moving vehicle and filmed farm workers jostling for it.

State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the allegations were "complete fabrications, utterly without foundation, and clearly, once again, betray the cynicism of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe."

The two Zimbabweans who were beaten were traveling with another embassy employee who is an American citizen and a United Nations officer from Britain.

The embassy claimed the assaults on the two Zimbabweans occurred after government militants subjected the group to a "hostile interrogation."

Reeker said the United States regards "the unprovoked attack on our personnel as a serious breach of the Zimbabwe government's responsibility to safeguard diplomatic personnel in Zimbabwe."

Jonathan Moyo, the information minister, accused the four of baiting people with food to create chaos, the Herald reported.

According to the newspaper, Moyo said the incident was "rooted in intrusive and interventionist behavior by some U.S. Embassy personnel who have been trespassing onto some farms under the guise of looking for alleged displaced farm workers."

The militants confiscated a camera and two computer discs from the group, the paper reported.

The embassy said the four had been conducting a survey of food needs of laborers who had worked on white-owned commercial farms before they were seized by the government as part of a controversial land redistribution program.

Reeker described the visit as part of normal embassy work, fully consistent with humanitarian activities permitted to diplomats under international law.

He said the Zimbabwe government has asked for help from the international community to cope with widespread food shortages in Zimbabwe.

It was in this context that the embassy vehicle turned up at the farm last Friday, Reeker said.

He added that U.S. diplomats have been pressing Zimbabwe authorities to identify, arrest and charge those responsible in the incident and return items that were stolen.

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If there's one "regime chage" that I would support unconditionally, 10000% without ANY reservations, its to oust the fuckhead Mugabe and his cronies!

The US will be doing a great fuckin service if they ousted this dictator, but no....there's no vested benefit to the US in doing that, is there?!?!

:mad:

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Originally posted by raver_mania

If there's one "regime chage" that I would support unconditionally, 10000% without ANY reservations, its to oust the fuckhead Mugabe and his cronies!

The US will be doing a great fuckin service if they ousted this dictator, but no....there's no vested benefit to the US in doing that, is there?!?!

:mad:

So you would support a war there, but not in Iraq?

well its a start, maybe theres a little hope in you left.

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Originally posted by raver_mania

If there's one "regime chage" that I would support unconditionally, 10000% without ANY reservations, its to oust the fuckhead Mugabe and his cronies!

The US will be doing a great fuckin service if they ousted this dictator, but no....there's no vested benefit to the US in doing that, is there?!?!

:mad:

Considering the government is US implemented and US supported would you expect the US to oust the dictatorship there?

Doubtful.

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