EDM 1363: Justice and redress in the case of Paul Westwood

That this House regrets that over 15 years have passed since Paul Westwood and his family, now resident in the United Kingdom, were forced to flee Zimbabwe, and that no justice has yet been secured in relation to the unlawful seizure of Mr Westwood’s car business by Temba Mliswa, then Member of Parliament for Hurungwe West; notes with concern that Mr Westwood, a loyal and long-standing resident of Zimbabwe, suffered significant financial loss and personal trauma as a result of these events, and that many of his former employees, some of whom had worked for the business for decades, were left without livelihoods; further notes with grave concern reports that Mr Westwood and his family were allegedly threatened with violence, rape and death in order to compel them to surrender their business, and that these threats were never properly investigated; further notes that Mr Mliswa has subsequently faced multiple allegations of corruption and abuse of office, and that little progress has been made towards ensuring accountability for these and other alleged abuses; commends the UK Government’s engagement with Zimbabwean authorities to promote transparency, justice and respect for human rights; further notes the UK’s longstanding support for Zimbabwe’s return to the Commonwealth on condition that the country demonstrates clear and sustained progress on democracy, governance and human rights, in line with the Commonwealth Charter; supports the recommendations set out in the Commonwealth Election Observation Report; and encourages a follow-up Commonwealth assessment mission to Zimbabwe in 2025 to assess progress on these