Zimbabwe Act 1979

3 Amnesty in respect of certain acts. U.K.

(1) No criminal proceedings or proceedings in tort or for reparation shall be instituted in any court of law in any part of the United Kingdom in respect of any act to which this section applies done, whether in the United Kingdom or in Southern Rhodesia or elsewhere, before the date on which the Governor appointed by Her Majesty under the M1 Southern Rhodesia Constitution (Interim Provisions) Order 1979 entered upon the duties of his office in the seat of government of Southern Rhodesia.

(2) The acts to which this section applies are—

(a) the making with respect to Southern Rhodesia of the purported declaration of independence on 11th November 1965;

(b) the purported making of constitutional provision for Southern Rhodesia otherwise than under the authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and in particular the making of any of the instruments styling themselves respectively “the Constitution of Rhodesia 1965”, “the Constitution of Rhodesia 1969” and “the Constitution of Zimbabwe Rhodesia 1979”;

(c) any act (including any act by way of conspiracy or incitement) preparatory or incidental to any act falling within paragraph (a) or (b);

(d) any act which would have been lawful if the instruments mentioned in paragraph (b) had been lawfully made;

(e) any act done on or after 11th November 1965 in the conduct or on the orders of any organisation having the purpose of resisting, frustrasting or overthrowing the administration purporting to be the Government of Rhodesia or of Zimbabwe Rhodesia established under any of the instruments mentioned in paragraph (b), being an act done in good faith for any of those purposes;

(f) any act done in good faith on or after 11th November 1965 for the purpose of resisting or combating any such organisation as is mentioned in paragraph (e) or resisting, or securing the apprehension of, any person acting in the conduct or on the orders of any such organisation.

(3) Any criminal proceedings or proceedings in tort or for reparation in respect of any act to which this section applies which are pending in any court in the United Kingdom on the day on which this Act is passed shall be treated as discontinued on that day; and any judgment, order or decree of any court in the United Kingdom given or made before that day in any proceedings in tort or for reparation in respect of any act to which this section applies shall, so far as not enforced before that day, be unenforceable.

(4) In this section “act” includes an omission, and references to the doing of an act shall be construed accordingly.

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 1979/1571.