No Shift in Zimbabwe’s Stance on Mengistu’s Extradition, Official Says

The Zimbabwean government on Monday maintained its stance on Mengistu Haile Mariam, saying it would not extradite the former Ethiopian leader on death row for crimes against humanity in his native country.

A Zimbabwean government official said there had been no shift in Harare’s position on the deposed Ethiopian leader who has stayed in the southern African country since fleeing an uprising against his regime in 1991.

“Nothing has changed yet about our position on that matter,” the official said. He insisted that the former Ethiopian leader was and would remain a guest of the Zimbabwe government.

An Ethiopian judge in Addis Ababa on Monday sentenced Mengistu and 19 others to death for genocide during his reign between 1974 and 1991.

The Zimbabwean government has repeatedly refused to extradite Mengistu since last year when the Ethiopian high court handed down a life sentence against the former leader.

His honeymoon in Zimbabwe could however come to an end if President Robert Mugabe loses to opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, in a presidential election run-off set for June 27.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change has already said it would hand over the former Ethiopian ruler to his country if it comes to power.

Source African Press Agency

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