Zimbabwe faces EU sanctions threat

Mr Mugabe dominates the Zimbabwean parliament

Zimbabwe is facing the threat of economic sanctions from the European Union, a day after its parliament approved measures which critics say will enable the government to stifle opposition.

Zimbabwean ministers are meeting EU officials in Brussels, and they are expected to be told that sanctions could be imposed if President Robert Mugabe's government fails to curb alleged human rights abuses.

When you disregard the rule of law, I think you are on the slippery slope towards a dictatorship with trimmings of multi-party democracy

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Zimbabwean delegation includes Information Minister Jonathan Moyo and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, responsible for forcing the new laws through parliament, which is dominated by Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Interior minister John Nkomo - also in Brussels - told the BBC that there were no human rights abuses in his country, and it had only been criticised when it tried to redistribute land from white farmers to landless black people.

The BBC's Jonty Bloom in Brussels says the EU could end up by freezing hundreds of millions of pounds of aid earmarked for Zimbabwe.

But critics say that will be too little, too late, and they are calling for the freezing of the assets of President Mugabe and other government ministers.

Commonwealth speaks out

Commonwealth countries are stepping up their pressure on Mr Mugabe ahead of Zimbabwe's presidential elections on 9-10 March.

Mr Mugabe has weathered criticism before

Neighbouring South Africa described as "unacceptable" the Zimbabwean army's implicit warning that it would not accept an opposition election victory.

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he would push for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth at the heads of government meeting in Brisbane in March.

And New Zealand also called for the Commonwealth to freeze Zimbabwe's membership.

The UK has already warned that it may push for Zimbabwe's expulsion from the body. But the threat was dismissed by Mr Mugabe, who said Britain, the former colonial power, lacked support on the issue.

New laws

The Zimbabwean parliament has passed a security bill criminalising criticism of Mr Mugabe and giving the police new powers to disperse demonstrations, and new election regulations which ban foreign and local independent monitors.

The security bill stipulates:

"engendering hostility" towards the president is an offence

police have new powers to disperse public gatherings

carrying identity cards is compulsory

One of Africa's most respected human rights figures, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said Mr Mugabe had exhausted the credit he once had as a champion of black African rights.

Zimbabwe faced the prospect of a "dictatorship with the trimmings of a multi-party democracy", the South African Nobel peace prize laureate told the BBC.

Opposition pessimism

Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said he believed the EU meeting was a waste of time.

The election bill stipulates:

voters must prove 12-month residency

ex-patriate workers are denied the right to vote

foreign and independent local monitors barred

election posters or pamphlets require prior permission

"In my view that meeting is totally irrelevant, given the developments in the country," he said.

"What is there to discuss about? Democracy? In a situation where legislation is so draconian that it even surpasses [Rhodesia-era leader Ian] Smith's own legislation during the liberation struggle?"

Media bill

The Zimbabwean parliament is to debate a third controversial bill - on control over the media - next week.

Tsvangirai says he could win a free and fair poll

Zimbabwean journalists say the bill would make it impossible to work, as they would need to get accreditation from the Information Ministry every year.

Other restrictions include a possible prison term for writing "unauthorised" accounts of cabinet discussions.