Coltart seeks legal help in the fight for order in Zimbabwe

Solicitors were last week urged to play a larger role in the fight for the rule of law in Zimbabwe.

David Coltart, MP for Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party and senior partner of Harare-based human rights and constitutional law firm Webb Lowe & Berry, was in England last week to gain support for a challenge to March's election result, when President Robert Mugabe claimed victory despite thousands of Zimbabweans being unable to vote.

Speaking to the Gazette during his visit, Mr Coltart said: 'We believe we have a very strong case of overturning the election result, but if the case is heard before a biased judge, then we have no chance.'

He is urging international lawyers and human rights organisations to send delegates to the trial, scheduled for September, to act as impartial international observers, and help to kickstart democracy on its way.

'We must use the law as best we can and expose the flaws in it,' he said.

'We cannot allow the country to become a lawless state, and so we want peaceful, non-violent change, however difficult that may be.'

The list of obstacles thrown by the ruling party, Zanu PF, towards the legal profession is long: the supreme court and the high court have seen their benches filled with Mugabe-supporting judges, the Zimbabwean Law Society has been strongly criticised and its president indirectly threatened by government ministers, while non-government supporting lawyers have found life very hard.

'The legal system has been completely subverted,' explained Mr Coltart.

'The police - who are pretty much an extension of the government - apply the law subjectively, and so lawyers with MDC-supporting clients face trumped up charges and no chance of a fair trial.'

Despite the terrible challenges facing the country, Mr Coltart still has hope for the future.

'I am convinced that this movement towards change is unstoppable: we are facing huge crises and we have a mammoth task ahead of us, but I am confident that we will survive it and restore the rule of law.'

Victoria MacCallum