Supreme Court Takes Case of Zimbabwe Boy

The case of an allegedly abused 9-year-old boy whom State Department officials want to return to his native Zimbabwe was referred by Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun to the full court Tuesday.

The action means that the high court’s eight justices will discuss Terrence Karamba’s fate at their regularly scheduled closed-door conference Friday.

A private foster care agency that has custody of the boy is seeking to block his deportation until he receives psychological therapy.

Custody of the boy was to have passed to the Zimbabwean government Saturday but Blackmun postponed a lower court order to that effect.

Father Summoned Home

The Zimbabwean government has promised not to return the boy to his father, Floyd Karamba, who was a member of his country’s delegation to the United Nations before being summoned home. U.S. authorities have accused him of beating Terrence repeatedly.

In legal papers arguing against continued efforts to keep the child in the United States, the U.S. government said Tuesday that “the overriding objective of the Department of State from the onset of this incident has been to protect the safety and welfare of this child.”

“The government believes, however, that as a matter of law the diplomatic status of the child and his parents deprives the courts of the United States--whether state or federal--of any power to adjudicate questions involving custody of the child.”

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government threatened Tuesday to retaliate against the United States for keeping the boy here.

‘Abductors’ Denounced

Foreign Minister Nathan Shamuyarira issued a statement calling for the immediate unconditional release of Terrence Karamba “from the hands of his abductors.”

“The Zimbabwe government, which has been scrupulous in its observance of international law and relevant diplomatic conventions, reserves its right to retaliate or reciprocate these acts of affront against its sovereignty and dignity,” he said.

Shamuyarira said Zimbabwe appreciated that President Reagan and the State Department wanted the child freed but said it was the duty of the U.S. government to ensure the boy’s speedy release.