UK Defends Inviting President Mnangagwa To Attend King Charles' Coronation

The UK government sent a letter to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe (APPGZ) defending the invitation of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to attend King Charles III’s coronation this Saturday, despite objections from some MPs who cited allegations of human rights abuses in the southern African country.

In a letter seen by Pindula News, Andrew Mitchell (MP) the Minister for Development and Africa said they invited Mnangagwa to raise “concerns over human rights and the need for political reform.” Reads the letter:

Thank you for your letter of 24 April to the Foreign Secretary, on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe about President Mnangagwa’s invitation to the King’s Coronation and the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. I am replying as the Minister for Development and Africa.

President Mnangagwa was invited to the King’s Coronation through a process agreed between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Royal Household. We regularly raise our concerns over human rights and the need for political reform in all official interactions with President Mnangagwa and his Ministers. Our conversations in the margins of the Coronation will allow us to do the same.

I share your concerns at the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. As a Human Rights Priority country, we continue to monitor and raise human rights in Zimbabwe and engage at senior levels, both publicly and privately. The UK wants to see Zimbabwe move along a pathway to being more peaceful, prosperous and democratic. Whilst we have welcomed some areas of progress in recent years, human rights and corruption remain areas of concern. We would like to see the Government of Zimbabwe meet its international and domestic obligations by respecting the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, and delivering genuine political and economic reform for all.

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Ahead of general elections due later this year, the UK is supporting calls for all political parties in Zimbabwe to refrain from violence and intimidation, and to adopt measured language which will support peaceful campaigning. We are encouraging the Government of Zimbabwe to allow space for political opposition, media and civil society organisations to operate freely. As our Ambassador to Harare publicly stated on 2 October 2023, the UK is committed to the fundamental rights of peaceful assembly, association and due process enshrined in Zimbabwe’s constitution. We will continue to call for all incidents to be investigated.

Our Embassy in Harare continues to monitor the ongoing detention of Job Sikhala MP, including through direct observation of court hearings, and are aware of the conviction of opposition spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere. We remain concerned by the failure to address allegations of abduction and abuse of three opposition members Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova. We have raised our concerns with the Government (most recently in meetings with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice in mid-April) and publicly called for an investigation into the allegations.

The UK will continue to balance engagement on human rights and corruption with a commitment to stand by Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable people, pursue shared interests and maintain a constructive dialogue.

Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP
Minister for Development and Africa

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