Zimbabwe

The facts laid out by prosecutors are plain: In 2008, a U.S. government employee on assignment in Zimbabwe drove through the capital of Harare in his government-issued Toyota Land Cruiser and struck and killed a 34-year-old Zimbabwe man.Five years later, the driver, Andrew Pastirik of Woodbridge, is facing criminal charges in the U.S. Pastirik denies being drunk, but he does not dispute that he struck the man, Alois Pedzisai Matyoramhinga.Yet the indictment against Pastirik mentions Matyoramhinga only in passing and Pastirik is not charged with murder or manslaughter, or even drunken driving. Rather, he is charged with vandalism — or "malicious mischief" as it is called in the criminal code — for causing more than $1,000 in damage to the Toyota Land Cruiser.If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.Legal arguments are under way to determine whether Matyoramhinga's death can even be mentioned to a jury when his trial begins July 29.Much of the case is shrouded in secrecy. Pro...

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