Zim 70's fate sealed

2004-04-29 19:15

Bulawayo - Zimbabwe has agreed to hand over to Equatorial Guinea 70 men accused of plotting a coup against President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, an official said on Thursday.

The decision was taken after talks between President Robert Mugabe and Obiang in Bulawayo, said the official who asked not to be named.

"The president agreed to extradite the 70 mercenaries so that they could face trial in Equatorial Guinea," he said.

An official statement on the decision was being prepared, he said.

The 70 men, all of whom were travelling on South African passports, were detained on March 7 at Harare International Airport when their Boeing 727 stopped to refuel and pick up military equipment.

The Zimbabwe authorities arrested them, claiming they were on their way to join 15 suspected mercenaries arrested in Equatorial Guinea on similar charges of plotting to overthrow the government of the oil-rich central African nation.

Could face the death penalty

The men deny they were involved in a plot to overthrow Obiang and contend they were on their way to the Democratic Republic of Congo to guard diamond mines.

South Africa said on Thursday it would not oppose the possible extradition of the suspected soldiers of fortune to Equatorial Guinea where they could face the death penalty.

"There is no legal basis for South Africa to demand that its nationals should not be extradited to another country," said the foreign ministry.

It added that the South African embassy in Zimbabwe had not been officially informed by Zimbabwean authorities of the extradition.

Obiang last month said that the 15 men arrested in Equatorial Guinea could face the death penalty.

Claimed the men wanted to wipe out entire family

"If we have to kill them, we will kill them," said Obiang, who has ruled the country for 25 years.

On a visit to Zimbabwe earlier this month, Equatorial-Guinean interior minister Manuel Nguema Mba said the 15 men wanted to wipe out Obiang's entire family.

Zimbabwe last week added Equatorial Guinea to the list of countries covered by its extradition legislation.

The men held in Harare have been charged with breaching Zimbabwe's security, aviation, firearms and immigration laws.

Lawyers for the group had asked the court in Harare to drop the case, arguing that there were no grounds for the charges.

The same court on Tuesday ordered an investigation into torture claims that came up as defence lawyers were pressing for the release of the 70.

Simon Mann, 55, the man Zimbabwe believes to be the leader of the group, told the court he was tortured in custody and forced to sign a statement.

Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe said, according to the evidence brought before the court so far, the alleged torture had not been carried out by the police or prison authorities, but by "other forces".

- AFP