SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
29 June 2009
An MDC MP who was set to reveal the truth about the mass murders in the Marange diamond fields last year, was this weekend jailed for seven years, on trumped-up charges.
Shuah Mudiwa, whose Mutare West constituency covers the Marange diamond fields where the killings occurred, was expected to disclose details of the massacre that took place there to a delegation from the Kimberley Process, a certification scheme aimed at preventing the sale of conflict diamonds. The delegation started its probe on Monday into the human rights violations at the diamond fields, as the Kimberley Process comes under intense pressure to suspend Zimbabwe over the sale of 'blood diamonds'.
However, the day after the Kimberley Process last week confirmed it would be sending an investigative team to Zimbabwe, Mudiwa was sentenced to seven years behind bars, on what has been described by the MDC as a false charge of kidnapping. Several other people lined up to meet the delegation over the Marange incident have also reportedly been harassed and intimidated, making it incerasingly unlikely the group will be able to establish the truth.
Annie Dunnebacke, from the action group Global Witness, last week warned that the facts of the murders would be prevented from being revealed, and she urged the government to come clean about the attacks. Her colleague Amy Barry told SW Radio Africa on Monday that Mudiwa's jail sentence is therefore "extremely disappointing and very concerning."
"The promised transparency by the Zimbabwean government is clearly not forthcoming," Barry said. She continued that "there is a great need for the government to cooperate with this delegation."
Barry also lamented the inaction by the Kimberley Process, saying it is "a make or break moment for the scheme's credibility."
"If the Kimberley Process fails to act after this delegation leaves Zimbabwe, then their crediblity will be severely damaged," Barry said.
Zimbabwe has been accused of trading in blood diamonds as a result of the Marange murders, and the responsibility has fallen on the Kimberley Process to intervene. But the regulatory body has made no move to take action against Zimbabwe, despite the hard evidence of the massacre and facts about the rampant human rights violations provided by rights groups and even survivors who fled the Marange area. Last week Human Rights Watch released a report backing up the documented evidence, detailing how the police and the army have used brutal and deadly force to control access to the diamond fields. The report also explained that the income generated by the sale of the diamonds from the fields is being funnelled directly into the pockets of ZANU PF.
Last week, Deputy Mining Minister Murisi Zwizwai, admitted at a meeting of the Kimberley Process in Namibia that a 'special operation' to clear the illegal miners had taken place. But he denied any killings had occurred and further denied that diamonds leaving Zimbabwe were 'blood diamonds'. Meanwhile mining secretary Thankful Musukutwa told journalists in Harare on Monday that Zimbabwe was not violating any international regulations over diamond sales, and defended the army's operations in Marange.
"What we have in Marange are illegal panners who from time to time evade security forces and engage themselves in illegal digging and trading of diamonds," said Musukutwa on Monday.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 SW Radio Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
- THE TRUTH ABOUT DIAMONDS –
Did You Know That The Robbers Have Warehouses Full Of 55 Gallon Drums Each Full Of Raw Uncut Diamonds ?
The Wicked Are Using The Same Schemes On Us. : 1) They Hoard Riches ; Controlling The Supply So We’ll Think The Supply Is Low 2) This Scheme Helps Them To Get A Higher Price & Deceives Most Of Us Into Believing That Things ( Such As Diamonds, Gold, Oil, Etc..) Are In Short Supply & Even Due To Run Out.
Diamonds Are In Abundance And Their Supply Is Being Controlled By Persons… [Read Full Text]