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Letter to the United Nations (UN) regarding the Zimbabwean torturer Henry Dowa
Basil T Hone
October 20, 2003

Basil T. Hone
18 King Street (P.O. Box 680)
Oldwick NJ 08858
Tel: 908 439 3967
Fax: 908 439 3326
e-mail: bhone@blast.net

The Rt:Hon: Ambassador Sir Emyr Jones Parry KCMG
United Kingdom Ambassador to the United Nations
One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza,
885 Second Avenue (28th Floor)
New York NY 10017

Dear Sir Emyr:

The Secretary-General of the UN, some five months ago castigated the international community for its expedient attitude in dealing with gross human rights violations. Applying the admonition in the Scriptures to consider the beam that is in one's own eye before criticizing the mote in a neighbor's eye, the United Nations offices and officers which have arranged for the removal of an accused torturer from a jurisdiction where he would be subject to investigation and prosecution, should be caled upon for a full and complete accounting of their behavior.

I am referring to the Dowa case discussed in my letter of July 21 2003 to your predecessor, Sir Jeremy Greenstock. Henry Sostane Dowa, a Zimbabwean police officer was seconded to the international police section of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK) in Kosovo. This officer had participated in numerous acts of torture while serving in Zimbabwe. The Redress Trust, a United Kingdom NGO, submitted a dossier to UNMIK requesting that Dowa be prevented from leaving UNMIK's jurisdiction pending a thorough investigation of the torture allegations against him and pointing out that if returned to Zimbabwe "he will not be brought to account for his alleged activities in Zimbabwe and the United Nations will have suffered a serious moral and legal defeat in the campaign against torture."

Early in October Dowa resurfaced in Harare, Zimbabwe, having been sent back there from Kosovo by none other than UNMIK. This is how the United Nations dealt with the Dowa case during his sojourn in Kosovo:

"We acknowledge the gravity of allegations made about the officer and the importance of the principles enshrined in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment" (Letter July 3 2003 UNMIK to Redress)

"..... we have given particular attention to the presence outside of Kosovo of a significant body of evidence relevant to the case to which UNMIK does not have assured access." (Letter July 3 2003 UNMIK to Redress)

"..... we have to dedicate our scarce resources to pressing and serious cases in Kosovo taking into account priorities directly related to UNMIK's mandate."(Letter July 3 2003 UNMIK to Redress)

"The UN Department of Justice (in Kosovo) said it "lacked the necessary human and financial resources to conduct a satisfactory investigation". It also noted that though Redress had asked for a third country to extradite Dowa, no request for this had been received and it said only Zimbabwe could do this." (Zimbabwe Independent October 3 2003)

In summary:

• despite recognizing the importance of the Torture Convention and therefore the grave nature of the allegations of torture against Dowa
• despite the Redress request to keep hold of Dowa
• despite knowledge that extradition of Dowa from Kosovo was being sought,

the United Nations nonetheless asked Zimbabwe to repatriate Dowa. In view of the persistent and widespread publicity about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and the suborning of the judiciary as a tool of the executive branch, it beggars the imagination to think that UNMIK could not have been aware that - in Redress' words - "if Dowa was allowed to return to Zimbabwe, he would not be held accountable for alleged crimes, as torture is endemic and is part of the ZANU PF government's strategy to stay in power."

The performance of the United Nations offices and officers involved in this debacle should be widely publicized and they should be called to account for their blatant disregard of the requirements of Torture Convention promoted by the institution of which they are part. Furthermore, the time has surely come for the UN to adopt appropriate and thorough vetting procedures before accepting individuals on secondment from member nations to ensure that personnel representing an institution whose slogan is "We, the Peoples", are without egregious character blemish. At present the UN relies on supplier nations to provide "suitable" candidates, thus opening the door to the secondment of troublemakers, deadbeats or - as in a case such as Dowa's - rewarding a repressive regime enforcer for work efficiently done.

Please call upon United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations to explain, in all the circumstances of the Dowa case, why they aided and abetted a torturer escape fair and objective judicial investigation and proceedings. And please insist that the United Nations administration forthwith adopt secondment regulations to ensure that candidates meet the highest standards of probity to qualify for service with the body charged with "the promotion of peace and security, development and human rights around the world". New regulations should also address the absurdity that, under current UN practice (apparently), only the host country of a seconded individual can apply for extradition - whether the country be a freedom loving democracy or a rogue state such as the Zimbabwe under the Mugabe Regime.

Respectfully submitted,

AND TO: The Hon: John D. Negroponte, US Ambassador to the UN

cc:
The White House
The State Department
The Senate S/Comm Intrnl Ops & Trrorsm
The House S/Comm Wstrn
The Senate Chrmn S/Comm
The House Chrmn S/Comm
Carnegie Council on Ethics & Intrntnl Affrs
Africa Brookings Institution
Africa Heritage Foundation
Hemisphere Council on Foreign Relations
Center for Victims of Torture
International Crisis Group

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