Zimbabwe's PM May Face Treason in WikiLeaks Fallout

Tsvangirai's support for sanctions prompts treason probe
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 28, 2010 6:03 AM CST
Zimbabwe's PM May Face Treason in WikiLeaks Fallout
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, right chats to Prime Minister Morgan Tsavangirai during their end of year press conference at State House in Harare, Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. Mugabe , Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara said they were working closely together and dispelled rumours of disunity...   (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Zimbabwe’s prime minister could face treason charges over material in WikiLeaks’ cable releases, the Guardian reports. One leaked cable suggests Morgan Tsvangirai said sanctions against his country “must be kept in place.” Now the attorney general is planning an investigation. “The WikiLeaks appear to show a treasonous collusion between local Zimbabweans and the aggressive international world, particularly the United States,” he said. High treason can bring the death penalty.

President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has urged the creation of a law that would label calls for sanctions treason. In the same leaked cable, the Guardian notes, Tsvangirai calls for “flexibility” in the sanctions. Making a case based on WikiLeaks cables would be tough, says an expert, since it would “have to investigate everything WikiLeaks has discussed, including officials from Zanu-PF.”
(More Zimbabwe stories.)

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