NGOs to KP: Suspend Zimbabwe's membership

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NGOs to KP: Suspend Zimbabwe's membership

December 16, 2008

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Ottawa, Canada--Members of the Kimberley Process (KP) Civil Society Coalition are calling upon the KP to suspend Zimbabwe's membership in light of the recent violence unleashed on diamond diggers in the South African nation.

According to a release from Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) and Global Witness, police in Zimbabwe--backed by the government and President Robert Mugabe--reportedly shot and killed as many as 50 artisanal diamond diggers in a November raid on the Chiadzwa diamond fields, allegedly called "Operation No Return."

According to PAC and Global Witness, revenues from Zimbabwe's diamonds are being used to support actions such as this and "are helping to prop up Robert Mugabe's repressive and increasingly violent regime."

"The KP was designed to halt and prevent conflict diamonds through an international regulatory regime based on internal controls in each participating country," said Ian Smilie of PAC. "The perpetration of human rights abuses and indiscriminate extra-judicial killing by governments in pursuit of Kimberley Process objectives is little better than the problem the scheme seeks to end. The Kimberley Process should act to condemn and prevent such violence."

In addition, according to the release, statements from Zimbabwe's Bank of Reserve Governor Gideon Gono indicate that large volumes of diamonds from Zimbabwe are being smuggled into other countries in contravention of the KP.

In recent months, smugglers have been arrested in India and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with large quantities of diamonds, reportedly of Zimbabwean origin.

Together with the violence and the killings, these leakages compromise the integrity of the KP and are a clear indication that Zimbabwe is no longer able to control a significant portion of its diamond exports.

In addition to suspending Zimbabwe from the KP, NGOs are calling upon the KP and its members to issue a "clear and unequivocal statement" about the need for all KP members to respect basic human rights in the enforcement of KP minimum standards.

NGOs also want all KP participants to be vigilant and step up their efforts in the search for illicit Zimbabwe diamonds.

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Industry calling for swift action on Zimbabwe

Jewelers of America is calling on the Kimberley Process to fully and quickly implement a work plan to address the serious concerns surrounding Zimbabwe's non-compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, the system designed to keep conflict diamonds out of the international trade, and the reported human rights abuses in the Marange diamond fields. Read More

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