Convict, don t ’ copy them

IT became the end of an era when former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak was yesterday convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mubarak was damned for complicity in the killings of protesters during the uprising – commonly known as the Arab Spring

– which brought about the end to his 30-year rule.

It was reported yesterday that throngs of Egyptian people greeted Mubarak’s fate with jubilation as they celebrated with fire-crackers.

Mubarak’s jailing and the widespread celebrations that followed the verdict were not without good reason.

Many dictators – especially here in Africa – never see their day in court despite the callous oppression of ordinary citizens that characterises their rule.

Despite the pain and suffering they mete out to their fellow human beings, these dictators are féted like royalty by organisations such as the African Union.

They leave power stinking rich and leave their families and protégés with undue riches stashed in overseas bank accounts.

It pains us to witness dictators such as Robert Mugabe sending his children to the best schools around the world when poor children in their own countries are starving.

Perhaps Mubarak’s jailing will send a clear message to those of his ilk that African dictators can no longer do as they please without facing the consequences of their misrule.

Many of Mubarak’s countrymen had wanted to see the death penalty.

We do not agree, as capital punishment violates human dignity, no matter how guilty the perpetrator is in the eyes of the law.

Even the act of bringing him to court on a hospital stretcher before being wheeled into the cage used in Egyptian courtrooms is an act of cruelty in itself.

It suggests that he had been convicted even before the judge arrived at a decision.

Africans must be careful not to repeat the excesses of dictators in their pursuit for justice.