Diamond Engagement Rings Specialist

The country is all set to host the huge jewellery exhibition in Basel, considered to possibly be the largest show in the world. However, human rights activists are asking the country to ban diamonds from Zimbabwe saying that many of them are blood diamonds. As Switzerland is part of the Kimberly Process, the activists feel it is honour-bound to speak out against the atrocities that go on in this part of the world and show that they are serious in cleaning up the diamond business.

What human rights campaigners feel is that though many of these countries are a part of the Kimberly Process, they do not always stand up even though they might suspect that the diamonds coming through could be conflict diamonds. It has still not banned Zimbabwe in spite of the fact that there have been instances to prove that conflict diamonds were making their way into the regular trade.

A few days ago, the government of Zimbabwe agreed that the diamonds from its Marange mines would not be exported. In view of this, the Kimberly Process has not suspended Zimbabwe’s membership. This export ban will remain in force till such time as the government can monitor trading in diamonds better and have a reliable monitoring mechanism in place.

The Marange problem began when Zimbabwean troops were accused of killing over two hundred miners who had squatted on land where diamonds had been found. The area is called Chiadzwa and it belonged to the English company Maidstone. However, the Zimbabwean government seized it from the company when there were reports of diamonds being found there. Though the local police deny any such incident, the human rights authorities have reported it.

The international diamond trade is asking for exports to be stopped from Zimbabwe because of army brutality in that country. The news is that two hundred people were massacred on the diamond mines there and though official reports deny this information, activists state that it is very true indeed. So the members of the Kimberly Process are meeting in Namibia to decide what has to be done.

The Kimberly Process which was set up in 2003 to ensure that conflict or blood diamonds did not get into the mainstream of diamond trade is in a fix. They have to be seen to be taking action against Zimbabwe otherwise they could end up losing their credibility. If they do not act against this lawlessness which includes murder and rape of people in what was once a peaceful area, how can the diamond trade trust their assurances that the diamonds they attest are clean? The HRW or Human Rights Watch has asked the Kimberly Process to make sure that the diamonds that come out of Africa are not from the conflict areas.