Human Rights Watch recommends that the KPCS suspend Zimbabwe from participation in
the Kimberley Process on account of the horrific human rights abuses in Marange and the
lack of effective official Zimbabwean oversight of its diamond industry. It should also place
an immediate, temporary halt on the extraction and trade of Marange diamonds. The KPCS
should bar Zimbabwe from exporting Marange diamonds and ban the importation of
Marange diamonds by its members until the government of Zimbabwe has ended human
rights abuses in Marange and has regulated the diamond fields in ways that stop smuggling.
Regulation of the diamond fields should include settling the question of legal title and
ensuring that only those properly licensed are allowed to mine diamonds.
Finally, as a member of the KPCS and as a regional political power, South Africa also has an
important role to play. Its own huge diamond industry is at serious risk of being tainted if
illegal diamonds from Marange are indeed being sold alongside South Africa’s domestically
produced diamonds. Human Rights Watch calls on South Africa, both individually and as a
member of the KPCS, to prevent the entry of tainted precious stones from Zimbabwe and to
encourage the transparency and accountability of Zimbabwe’s diamond industry.
Diamonds in the Rough
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