Press Release
Zimbabweans abroad call on Obama to maintain sanctions on Mugabe
New York, 11 June: Zimbabweans living abroad are asking Western governments to continue with the targeted sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his inner circle. But we are also appealing to the United States to review the Zimbabwe Democratic and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) for the sake of the suffering people in Zimbabwe.
Under our newly found organization, Zimbabwe Independent Assistance Network (ZIA Network) we realize that there is a crying need for the Zimbabwe transitional government to perform and begin to provide for the desperate people of Zimbabwe. And yet with ZDERA in force such performance is close to impossible.
We are concerned with ZDERA because, it forbids American corporation to do business in Zimbabwe. ZDERA stipulates that American corporations cannot do business with and in Zimbabwe including the much-needed foreign investment. This also means there can be no lines of credit from any American based institution including IMF and the World Bank. Without a substantial monetary injection into the Zimbabwean economy, the anticipated economic recovery is practically impossible.
We are convinced that ZDERA has served its purpose and is now hurting the ordinary people in Zimbabwe whose rights the Act was initially designed to protect.
Robert Mugabe and his lieutenants are primarily responsible for political violence that left thousands of people dead, maimed or homeless following Mugabe’s loss in the 2008 March elections. They looted public coffers and seized private farmland, which they have failed to till, drove the country into unprecedented starvation and now threaten food production for 2009.
Mugabe and his party continue to arrest and harass citizens suspected of disagreeing with the on-going farm invasions, which is among the actions that are quickly undermining the small gains that came out of the formation of the transitional government.
As the transitional government in Zimbabwe grapples with the mammoth task of mending the country's tattered economy and social services, goons aligned with Mugabe’s ZANU PF continue to disrupt farm operations with impunity, eroding the country's chances of increasing and stabilizing its erratic food supplies.
We know that lawlessness and power struggles continue to frustrate the implementation of a comprehensive economic recovery programme in Zimbabwe. Nine months after the signing of a power sharing agreement Mugabe’s conduct so far, casts serious doubts on his commitment to the spirit and terms of the power sharing agreement.
The current debacle between Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), provides the international community with clear evidence that Mugabe’s intention has been to rent legitimacy rather than help the country dig itself out of an economic and political quagmire he is largely responsible.
Instead of Mugabe calling on his associates to stop their unruly behaviour, he is demanding that Western countries lift sanctions against his country. By contrast, we Zimbabweans living abroad are asking Western governments to continue with targeted sanctions against this tyrant and his inner circle. Members of that circle are primarily responsible for the political violence that has left thousands of people dead, maimed, or homeless following the 2008 March elections.
Mugabe and his party continue to arrest and harass citizens suspected of disagreeing with the on-going farm invasions, which is among the actions that are quickly undermining the small gains that came out of the formation of the transitional government.
The new government’s appeals to the international community for financial assistance to fund the recovery programme and ensure food security sounds a legitimate, but providing money to this government under the present circumstances will only serve to finance Mugabe’s misrule, which he has made his legacy over the past 29 years.
We are therefore calling on President Obama’s administration to send a strong message to Mugabe, expressing that the time for his thuggish behaviour is over, and he and his inner circle should not expect foreign governments to bankroll their abuse of power.
As long as the banditry and the human rights abuses are allowed to continue under the watch of the transitional government, targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his group should be maintained. Lifting these sanctions will only serve to promote bad governance and reward failure and lawlessness.
For more information go to: www.zianetwork.org
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Phone: +1 212 960 3313
Background
ZIA Network is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, non-governmental organization with a mandate to help establish and promote democratic practices, human rights, security and international cooperation. It was launched in 2008, as a voice for democracy and freedom in Zimbabwe. Since its founding by native Zimbabweans concerned with mounting threats to peace and democracy in their country, ZIA Network has been a vigorous proponent of democratic values and a steadfast opponent of dictatorship.
ZIA Network seeks to raise awareness around the world of the increasingly dangerous economic, social and political instability in Zimbabwe. We will advance the needs of Zimbabweans through public awareness campaigns and initiatives, targeting elected officials, government agencies, policy-makers and opinion leaders in Zimbabwe and abroad.
