PROTECTION

Robert Mugabe Granted Immunity From Prosecution in Zimbabwe

The ousted leader has been given guarantees for his safety following a military takeover and government shakeup.

Ousted Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe has been granted immunity from prosecution following his resignation earlier this week, the Zimbabwean military said Thursday. Mugabe and his wife have also received guarantees for their safety inside the country, where a military takeover raised fears of a violent coup. Mugabe’s 37-year rule officially ended on Tuesday, when he resigned after a week of negotiating with military leaders who’d placed him under house arrest. His former right-hand man, Emmerson Mnangagwa, will take over as interim president. Mugabe’s decades in power have been marked by accusations of human rights abuses and large-scale corruption, with critics alleging he ordered a spate of massacres in the 1980s and consistently rigged elections to keep his grip on the presidency.