(10 Jan 1995) English/Nat
A white Zimbabwean doctor accused of experimenting on poor blacks has been found guilty of killing two patients in Harare.
The case of Dr Richard McGown has fanned racial tensions between wealthy whites and impoverished blacks.
The two victims were patients of McGown, both were children.
These demonstrators are protesting that McGown is a racist who conducted Nazi-style experiments on blacks....testing his patients' tolerance on morphine anaesthesia.
"Moroyi" means witch in Shona, Zimbabwe's main language.
The anti-racist demonstrations have been organised by the Student Representative Council, whose leader Obei Mudzingwa insisted before the trial that McGown should be convicted.
SOUNDBITE:
We are not going to allow criminals to get away with these killings in Zimbabwe. The locals are there to ensure that justice is practised here. I hope they will. I sincerely hope they will.
SUPER CAPTION: Obei Mudzingwa, President SRC
McGown practised medicine here in this Harare hospital. However the doctor was not charged with making unlawful clinical trials and experiments, only with negligence.
This negligence resulted in the deaths of a ten-year old black Kenyan girl and a twenty month old baby of Asian parents.
McGown was granted bail. His family, including his son, daughter and daughter's boyfriend attended the trial.
The doctor's haughty attitude in court was criticised by the judge as he made his verdict, calling it "disturbing."
After the verdict the Kenyan girl's father, a lawyer himself, says he will be protesting to the attorney general.
SOUNDBITE:
And if Dr McGown had been found guilty of unlawful clinical trials then the proper charge before the High Court should have been murder. I think this is a tremendous miscarriage of justice for the charge of clinical trials not to have been pursued. And I am not satisfied and none of the other aggrieved parents are satisfied.
SUPER CAPTION: Charles Khaminwa, Kenyan lawyer and father of one of the victims.
Many blacks feel disappointed with the decision to find McGown guilty on only two counts of culpable homicide when he had been charged with five. Mudzingwa says his people will fight on.
SOUNDBITE:
Personally I don't accept it. The people that I lead in the interests of Zimbabwe shall now, by any means necessary, we shall undertake to follow this up very seriously because we cannot to continue to tolerate. What is wrong is wrong and it should be met with expected justice.
SUPER CAPTION: Obei Mudzingwa, President of SRC
McGown now has leave to appeal against his sentence...such an appeal can expected to be vigorously contested.
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
29 авг 2024
