KP Responds to New Zimbabwe Violence Reports, to 'Exchange Information'
August 31, 11
(IDEX Online News) – The troubling report about torture camps in
The program brought testimonies by victims who told of severe beatings and sexual assault at a torture camp known as "Diamond Base," reportedly located about one mile from Mbada's concession.
Witnesses said they were beaten several times a day at a razor wire enclosed camp where the prisoners are kept. Male prisoners are released after several days. Women are kept for shorter periods, often released after being raped, witnesses said.
In a report released yesterday (Tuesday) by Human Rights Watch, Zimbabwe police and private security guards employed by mining companies in the Marange diamond fields are charged with shooting, beating and unleashing attack dogs on poor, local unlicensed miners.
The reports caught the diamond industry by surprise after a KP fact-finding mission investigating last year said it did not find any evidence of human rights abuses. The report gave ground to calls to broker a deal with
The issue was however muddled by unilateral declarations by the current KP chair, Yamba. Without receiving prerequisite unanimous member approval, time and again Yamba declared exports from Marange to be OK.
Yamba's letter dated August 22 is a first sign of a change on his part, recognizing that KP must act more cautiously on the matter.
In the letter, Yamba said KP is seeking clarifications from the government of
The letter falls short of promising to take action should it find that the reports of violence are accurate.
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