Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe on Oct. 30 accused United Nations torture expert Manfred Nowak, who was expelled from the country, of trying to provoke a diplomatic incident by ignoring a request to delay his trip. Nowak said he would recommend that the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) take action against Harare after Zimbabwean security officials detained him on arrival overnight and forced him onto a South African-bound plane on Oct. 29. Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said that Nowak, the UNHRC's special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, had ignored a decision by President Robert Mugabe's government to postpone a week-long visit. (Reuters)