President Robert Mugabe's condemned Britain and its "white allies" by saying they have forced Zimbabwe into a no-win situation that has left it with no choice but to pull out of the Commonwealth.
"Whatever our detractors and critics are saying, for us this is like an escape from hell because Britain and its white allies have turned the Commonwealth into a Zimbabwe lynching club," Mr Didymus Mutasa, external affairs secretary of Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, told journalists today.
The group of 54 mostly former British colonies renewed Zimbabwe's suspension on Sunday, demanding that Harare seek reconciliation with the opposition and respect human rights, prompting a furious Mr Mugabe to withdraw his country.
Zimbabwe was suspended early last year on the grounds that Mr Mugabe (79), who has ruled the country since independence in 1980, rigged his re-election in 2002 and persecuted his opponents.
Commonwealth leaders said they regretted Mr Mugabe's response, with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warning it would hurt Zimbabwe's people the most.
"It's entirely in character, sadly, with President Mugabe," Mr Straw said. "I think it's a decision which he, and particularly the Zimbabwean people, will come to regret," he added.
Membership in the Commonwealth confers political prestige on an international stage for poor nations and some modest trade and aid benefits. Members see exclusion from the "gentleman's club", which highly values cordial diplomacy, as an insult.