On Wednesday night, October 28, UN human rights expert Manfred Nowak was seen being approached by four security officials at Zimbabwe’s Harare airport after he had cleared immigration.

Nowak, the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, told reporters he had been invited to Zimbabwe by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai after arriving in South Africa.

[Manfred Nowak, UN Human Rights Expert]:
"I was taken aside by the immigration department, and they told me that they had an order to keep me at the airport, because there was no clearance from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, for my meeting with the Prime Minister. I showed them the written invitation by the Prime Minister to meet him today at 10 o'clock, I also showed them what is the telephone number of the protocol officer of Foreign Affairs, and they just said we had to get out (of) here."

Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper accused Nowak of trying to "gatecrash into the country.”

The newspaper said Nowak had been informed by the government not to visit, because the country was hosting foreign ministers from the regional body of the Southern African Development Community's organ on politics, defense and security.

The SADC delegation will be reviewing the power-sharing agreement.

[Manfred Nowak, UN Human Rights Expert]:
"There was no way of actually for us to change the situation, I was still hoping that the government would change its mind and the clearance would come during the night, but it didn't, so we were finally brought to the same South African Airways Aircraft that brought us to Harare, was sent back this morning and now we are arriving at Johannesburg airport."

Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, formed a power-sharing government with Tsvangirai to end months of feuding in the impoverished country.

But Tsvangirai said two weeks ago he was boycotting the arrangement until sticking points had been resolved.

Nowak's invitation marked the first time Zimbabwe had offered to open up to an expert working for the UNHRC.

[Manfred Nowak, UN Human Rights Expert]:
“If the government is not allowing me entry, that's a way I have never been treated by any other government and that means that the mission has failed, and I am still concerned about serious and credible allegations of torture, ill treatment, and inhuman prison conditions in the country. I would have liked very much to be available to the government to assess objectively this situation, all those allegations, by speaking to all sides, to the government, to non-governmental organizations, to victims, witnesses, whoever wishes to provide me with information in order to come up with an objective report aimed also to assist the government to improve the situation with the help of international donors."

Nowak said he remained concerned about torture in Zimbabwe and would recommend that the UNHRC take action against the country.