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A DEFIANT ROBERT Mugabe has told those upset by his disputed landslide election win to “go hang,” and said his victory would never be overturned.
The 89-year-old vowed never to let go of his victory, after his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai lodged a petition in court challenging the election outcome.
“Those who were hurt by defeat can go hang if they so wish,” Mugabe told thousands at a rally to honour heroes of the country’s liberation wars.
“If they die, even dogs will not sniff at their corpses,” he said, in a first public address after the 31 July vote, adding:
Never will we go back on our victory.
Mugabe was declared the winner with 61 per cent of the ballots, against Tsvangirai’s 34 per cent.
He insisted that the Zimbabwean people’s choice in government was clear.
“We are delivering democracy on a platter. We say take it or leave it, but the people have delivered democracy,” he said.
Tsvangirai meanwhile vowed to expose “glaring evidence of the stolen vote” through a court bid.
(TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI/AP/Press Association Images)
His lawyers on Friday filed a petition at the Constitutional Court challenging the poll, which extended Mugabe’s 33-year rule by another five years.
“All I can see is a nation in mourning over the audacity of so few to steal from so many,” Tsvangirai said in a statement.
But “the thief left so much evidence at the scene of crime as we shall expose in the people’s petition that we filed last week.”
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The elections ended a shaky power-sharing government formed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai to avoid a tip into conflict in the aftermath of a bloody run-off election in 2008.
Mugabe labelled Tsvangirai a “thief”, claiming that the opposition leader did not deserve to share power with him after the violent 2008 presidential run-off.
“They are now looking for excuses claiming they were robbed,” Mugabe said. “How can a robber claim he was robbed?”
“We found we were dining with and sharing our bed with thieves. We will never give thieves the power to rule.”
Thousands of ZANU-PF supporters dressed in party T-shirts and caps emblazoned with Mugabe’s portrait waved their fists in the air, singing praise for the veteran ruler as some carried placards calling for Tsvangirai to accept defeat.
“Learn to lose with dignity,” read one, while another read “There is honour in conceding defeat.”
Other placards denounced the West saying: “July 31. The Day we Buried Imperialists” and “Obama, Zimbabwe will never be another Chile.”
Serious doubts
Mugabe repeated his old rhetoric that Zimbabwe will never be a colony of Britain and her allies pledging to review salaries of government workers.
“We have promised to address the issue of salaries and condition of living. We pledge to fulfil this promise this year,” Mugabe said.
“The emphatic vote that was recently reposed in the ruling revolutionary party ZANU-PF assures us that Zimbabwe shall never be a colony again. Never, never, ever.”
Tsvangirai’s defeat has relegated his Movement for Democratic Change back to the opposition benches.
Local observers have called the polls flawed and Western powers have raised serious doubts over the vote.
However, regional organisations the African Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) were less critical.
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I’m pretty sure there must be some system in place for a US court to request an Irish to supply a warrant to hand over this type of information. And I can’t imagine there would be much reason for the Irish court to refuse in a case involving drugs. So it just seems like the US court is setting this terrible precedent because they couldn’t be bothered going through the proper channels.
Or am I missing something?
The article mentions a process called the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty which facilitates these kinds of requests but apparently US prosecutors never contacted the Irish authorities….
I get a very clear picture that this is a channel they have been trying to open for a while because it’s not as constrictive in terms of it’s scope as the Treaty on what they could look for in the future once precedent is set.
Very troubling stuff really.
US law is not enforceable in the EU. We have something called Data Protection. Maybe Microsoft should use the IRS approach and say the Data servers crashed and wasn’t backed up so we lost it. If it works FOR the government, it should work FOR Microsoft. Or perhaps the US government could just ask NSA for the data? sure they record everything and anything they can intercept. if Microsoft do hand hand over the data then they will be breaking Irish Data Protection laws
John you are correct. Ireland does not cooperate with the 5 eyes network except in specific investigations where real probable cause is demonstrated to us.
The US has basically eliminated all of it’s protections esp the 4th ammendment and now they expect us to eliminate ours to make it easier for them to hovver up data, well we won’t be allowing it.
Any government in Ireland that was caught doing the kind of mass surveillance common in the US now would be out of office with angry mobs in the streets very quickly and they know that.
We may be a laundrette for their companies for taxes but were not going to be one for their police state, they can follow the process of get nothing.
You’re mistaken, you should look up the ECHELON agreement which the Irish government signed up to back in the last century.
Angry mobs in the streets? I doubt it! Irish people never got out in the streets to protest bank bailout, cuts to disability services, cuts to health services etc! Angry mobs are needed but not in irish psyche it seems!
You really really believe that? I don’t! The meek Irish who will just roll over and die for every politco that drives a unpalletable and hard barghain at them? They’ve NEVER stood up for themselves.. and never will.
NOT EVERYBODY IS A CRIMINAL.WE NEED OUR PRIVACY SO RESPECT IT.
Have you not heard. In the US you are guilty until proven innocent and even then you can still be jailed.
The USA will use their war on Drugs and terrorism to justify their big brother and bully-boy tactics. We have a department of Data protection and as far as I know, the ball is in their court.
This is nonsense. The data is in Ireland, then only the irish courts can release. The us needs to be told this in no uncertain terms. Their boarders are the end of their legal rights just like ours.
So are the emails to do with some international high profile drug dealer or some corner hustler?
Am, No.
We have a minister for data protection ?. Seriously …..
We have one for almost everything else.
Tor
Funny one this. As multinationals, the corporations can store data in privacy friendly jurisdictions to avoid scrutiny by more investigative jurisdictions. This case may be between two western nations over emails, but what if child porn could be disseminated out of Guatemala due to a friendly local administration and so was above reproach? Like different tax codes in different jurisdictions, corporations will pick & choose countries that best serve their bottom line, not necessarily what best serves their customers.
Microsoft are incorporated in the USA and would be required to comply with court orders there. Similarly the directors could held liable for non-compliance.
Yes, and by virtue of the fact that the data is physically stored on servers in Ireland means that it is subject to Irish Data Protection laws. If they hand over the data they are in breach of our laws.
Not just our laws, but European laws.
i think data belonging to any European citizen cannot leave europe
It can leave the EU under the safe harbour agreement between EU and USA
No worries. Ireland is the 51st state anyway in all but name so US court jurisdiction over it is a given. Of more interest is the sham of court intrusion because every email is automatically scanned by US and UK intelligence services. EVERY EMAIL. On the Internet absolutely nothing is sacred. In a digital world, there are no rights. We’re simply witnessing the death throes of the old analogue world order.
Surprised the Irish government weren’t joined as notice parties to the case in the US. That would have allowed them to put their case to the judge.
this is bullishit, data belong to the people, and storage location does not matter. Also, asking for data with warrant is not what worries us when we think of Microsoft, Google, Facebook.
this is bullishit, data belong to the people, and storage location does not matter. Also, asking for data with warrant is not what worries us when we think of Microsoft, Google, Facebook….
have your say