HRW Urges Diamond Retailers to Ban Marange Diamonds

Posted in News by Admin on December 21st, 2009

Throughout 2009, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has conducted field-based research in the diamond fields of Marange in eastern Zimbabwe. We found that mining under the supervision of the police and then the military resulted in the use of forced labor of adults and children, killings and severe beatings. By any reasonable assessment, diamonds from Marange are “blood diamonds” and we are publicly calling upon retailers and interested consumers to boycott Zimbabwe diamonds unless and until the abuses that we uncovered come to an end.

We are also asking the diamond industry to pressure the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), the global group monitoring the diamond trade, to suspend Zimbabwe until diamond mining at Marange meets its minimum standards for membership. The KPCS sent its own review mission to Zimbabwe and confirmed our findings. We believe that it can no longer certify that diamonds from Zimbabwe are mined in compliance with the rules of the KPCS.

Human Rights Abuses in Marange

In June 2009, HRW published a report documenting horrific human rights abuses in the Marange diamond fields by the Zimbabwean military, including forced labor, child labor, the killing of more than 200 people, beatings, smuggling and corruption.

As recently as late October 2009, these abuses were ongoing. HRW’s latest information suggests that the situation in Marange remains largely unchanged. Despite claims that the army was withdrawing, for the most part, the diamond fields remain under firm military control, with smuggling, human rights abuses, and corruption unchecked.

The Role of the Kimberley Process

In July 2009, a Kimberley Process (KP) investigative mission also found serious human rights abuses and rampant smuggling at the Marange diamond fields. However, the states that make up the KP decided not to suspend Zimbabwe from participation, nor ban the export of its diamonds, despite those findings. The weak excuse given was that its mandate only addresses “conflict diamonds,” or those mined by rebel groups, but not by abusive governments. In this case, the abuses at Marange were committed by Zimbabwe’s police and army, rather than rebel groups.

But these abuses are as serious as those that the KP was designed to address; relying on a technicality is no comfort for the victims of the abuses. Instead of ignoring human rights abuses, KPCS members, as well as retailers, should classify Marange diamonds as “conflict diamonds.”

What the Diamond Industry Can Do

Because of the prevalence of smuggling, the lack of transparency within Zimbabwe’s diamond industry, insufficient controls at the country’s borders with neighboring countries and weak certification mechanisms, there is no way to guarantee that Marange stones are not being mixed with those produced at Zimbabwe’s other two mines. Moreover, once the Marange diamonds leave Zimbabwe, they are intermingled with diamonds from other countries, creating a serious risk that Zimbabwean diamonds extracted in an abusive human rights environment may be sold in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The U.S. diamond industry, including retailers, therefore has an important responsibility to ensure that they do not sell these gems to unwitting customers. As I am sure you’re aware, consumers are increasingly concerned about this problem and might be reticent to buy any diamonds unless suppliers guarantee they are not sourcing from Zimbabwe and can demonstrate that they are in full compliance with the requirements of the KP.

Some diamond suppliers, like Rapaport and Leber Jewelers, have told consumers that they will not acquire or sell Marange diamonds. Other retailers should be able to take similar steps and we urge you to do so, as well.