Bizarre, International, Politics

China Awards Mugabe Human Rights Prize

200px-mugabecloseup2008130px-Mao_Zedong_portraitThis is truly something that belongs in The Onion. Indeed, I had to double check to be sure that it was serious. China, one of the most oppressive nations on Earth, has given a human rights award to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, one of the most oppressive and corrupt leaders in the world. China continues its almost comical issuance of the Confucius Peace Prize, its answer to the Nobel Peace Prize. China was tired of the Nobel people giving a human rights price to human rights advocates, particularly Chinese dissents or the Dali Lama. So it created its own prize to give those hard-working dictators an opportunity to shine. So this year, China is honoring a man who has destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe, starved his people, oppressed dissidents, and maintained one of the most disgusting levels of corruption and personal excess of any dictator in the world. Vladimir Putin previously won the award. Last year the recipient was that great humanitarian Fidel Castro.


The prize will no doubt fuel Mugabe’s delusional state where he denies that there is any suffering or corruption in this country.

The Chinese celebrated how Mugabe, 91, “inject[ed] fresh energy” into the global quest for harmony during his authoritarian 35 years in power. Yes like the fresh energy he has used in persecuting gays or his annual birthday extravaganzas or the endless energy his wife shows in her infamous shopping trips to Europe.

The Committee announced:

“Ever since Robert Mugabe was sworn in as the president of Zimbabwe in the 1980s, he has worked hard to bring political and economic order to the country and to improve the welfare of the Zimbabwean people by overcoming hardship.”

Honestly, that is what it said. While shame seems to no longer register in China, irony appears a Party-sanctioned theme.

Qiao Damo, the committee’s chairman, said the following with an entirely straight face: “If Zimbabwe did not have Mugabe as its president, the country would be facing great difficulty – even public security might be in danger.” Thank God Zimbabwe is not facing great difficulty given its collapsing economy and rampant corruption.

Liu Zhiqin, one of the committee’s 76 members, acknowledged,  “Frankly speaking, there were internal concerns about awarding Mugabe the peace prize . . . Mugabe has been in power for such a long time that he could be easily be labelled a dictator, tyrant or despot.” Gee, you think? The question is what else could he possibly be. Nevertheless, the Committee overcame its “concerns” and embraced one of the most despicable figures in the history of Africa as a model of leadership for China.

The prize comes with an award of 500,000 yuan (ÂŁ51,000) and a gold trophy. Perhaps he could put the gold trophy next to his prized, guarded commode to perfectly capture China’s latest contribution to human rights.

Source: Guardian

79 thoughts on “China Awards Mugabe Human Rights Prize”

  4. A lot of Americans now go to Cuba for medical care. They can thank Fidel for that. The example of medical care is all around you America. Wake up and smell the roses. And not the artFays from your local doctor.

  7. KCF, I would be willing to bet good money many of the folks refusing to see the facts on this ADMITTED scandal are also Truthers. I wouldn’t spend to much time giving facts to them, it just feeds that Oliver Stone like conspiracy part of their brain. You know, the atrophied left hemisphere.

  8. Oh, brother.
    CBS admitted that it was a fake in January 2005:

    Report of the Independent Review Panel Dick Thornburgh and Lewis D. Boccardi; Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP, Counsel to the Independent Review Panel

    “Peter Tytell, a New York City-based forensic document examiner and typewriter and typography expert was consulted by the Panel in lieu of thoroughly reviewing all the Killian documents. Tytell concluded that he believed the documents were forgeries and notified the 60 Minutes producers and the Panel of his conclusions.”

    ….Despite provable flaws, inconsistencies and errors, CBS continued to air stories after the original segment defending it.
    … Instead of finding the best and most independent examiners and experts to review the segment, 60 Minutes Wednesday set out to find examiners and experts that would only vouch for the authenticity of the documents. This should have been done on the basis of credentials and unbiased viewpoint rather than trying to find only those that supported their viewpoint.
    … Instead of providing an overall unbiased view of the story, CBS prepared only news stories that supported the segment. Creating and exacerbating more controversy than handling questions pertaining to the validity of the segment.”

  9. Is it only “fake” because it doesn’t comport with what you believe to be true? I suspect so.

  10. “The “typewriter” discrepancy invented.”

    So, fake but accurate, huh?

    It was no mere ‘discrepancy,’ it was faked evidence.
    It was the main point of their story to ‘prove’ their point.

    See also:
    bogus
    counterfeit
    fabricated
    fictitious
    forged

    As I said, that’s what Dr. Pickett was doing, offering a fallacy in lieu of actual logic; that is, a fake or deceptive argument.

  11. Why is this different from awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Paul Bremer or George Tenet for their roles in the “freeing” of Iraq? Do you think fewer innocent civilians were murdered? State-sponsored hypocrisy smells the same everywhere.

  12. hahaha this post comes from a “public interest” professor. Now that title is worth some laughs after reading just a few posts here. hahahahahaha i’m belly laughing.

  13. Haha this is like Obama winning the Nobel for peace. hahahaha or this site winning awards for news/analysis (albeit from the ABA).

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