Boston, USA - In the midst of international media focus on the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, the International Crisis Group proposed a plan this week that pushes for a non-partisan transitional administration in Zimbabwe. It involves amnesty for Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF.

It is a terrible plan.

We are appalled at the continuing nightmare that is Zimbabwe. AIDS-Free World receives emails and phone calls daily about women who were raped by ZANU-PF youth militia in last summer's post-election violence, and human rights activists being abducted right now. We have pushed for the international community to call Robert Mugabe to account for his crimes, including crimes against women.

The International Crisis Group's press release says, "It will take patriotism for Robert Mugabe to step aside and Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC to put their leadership aspirations on hold until new elections, but the crisis demands selfless statesmanship."

Zimbabwe would not be in this situation today if Robert Mugabe had an ounce of selfless statesmanship in him, and it is late in the day to expect him to suddenly develop some. Even if he did, should amnesty be an option?

No. Amnesty for Mugabe would be illegal, irresponsible, and sexist.

Illegal because international law prohibits blanket amnesty for perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Irresponsible because it would send a message to other tyrants that if they just behave badly enough, we'll exonerate them simply for promising to stop. Sexist because yet again, men with guns would negotiate an agreement that ignores outrages against women, and allows perpetrators to simply put down their guns, and carry on.

Amnesty is deeply offensive to anyone who has even an inkling of the devastation this man has wrought.  The idea of a group of rapists and criminals who have spread terror and pain, deprived people of their basic standard of living, cut off access to AIDS drugs, trampled human rights and destroyed a beautiful nation, suddenly deciding to repent for the sake of peace, is pure fantasy. The idea that if the top ranks of ZANU-PF retire quietly, the rest will stop the carnage and blithely rebuild their country while the world watches in approval, is ludicrous.

We have knocked on the doors of the UN. We have sent letters to every member of the Security Council. We have taken anonymous affidavits from rape survivors and handed a summary, last week, to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We have called on the whole world to demand that the countries of southern Africa step in and pressure Mugabe to step down – to end what has become Africa's failure to solve Africa's problem. We believe the answer lies in real action by Zimbabwe's neighbours.

We know that other NGOs share our sense of outrage. We hope that they are all with us in utterly rejecting the idea of amnesty for Mugabe and ZANU-PF, because it is a brazen insult to all Zimbabweans, especially the brave women who have spoken out about their suffering and eloquently asked for help. We must not forsake them.

Women in Zimbabwe, like women anywhere, are going to play a huge part in restoring national stability. To ignore their experiences during this crisis, to follow the same tired prescription we have used to deal with other despots who have devastated their nations and then moved on, cushioned from all responsibility, would be grossly unjust. It won't end the crisis; it will provide a game plan for the next one.

www.allafrica.com

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