Diamond ‘Torture Camp’ Reported In Zimbabwe

Image: Beatings and rapes were reported in the diamond fields. The New York Times

Britain Urges Zimbabwe to Examine Diamond ‘Torture Camp’ Report -- New York Times

LONDON — Britain has urged the authorities in Zimbabwe to investigate a BBC report that its security forces are beating and raping prisoners at two camps in the Marange diamond fields in the east of the country. International monitors voted to allow exports from the fields to resume in June despite objections from the United States, Canada and the European Union.

On Monday, the BBC’s documentary program “Panorama” said the camps hold workers who were recruited by the police and the military to dig illegally for diamonds for them, but who then demand too large a share of the profits. The camps also hold civilians caught mining for themselves, the program said.

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More News On Zimbabwe's 'Torture' Diamond Camp

Marange diamond field: Zimbabwe torture camp discovered -- BBC
Zimbabwe running torture camps in diamond fields: BBC -- Reuters
Forced miners tortured at Zimbabwe's diamond fields -- AFP
Zimbabwe diamond torture camp alleged -- UPI
“Blood Diamonds”: “Torture Camps “Discovered in Zimbabwe -- IBTimes
EU asks Zim to probe diamond mine torture claims -- Mail & Guardian
Zimbabwe diamond torture camps report 'ridiculous': minister -- AFP
Marange diamonds: Zimbabwe denies 'torture camp' - -BBC
European Union to lift ban on Zimbabwe's 'blood diamonds' despite torture claims -- The Telegraph

Zimbabwe's Blood Diamond Trade Continues To Grow With Chinese Help

An illegal diamond dealer displays his goods for sale in Manica,
near the border with Zimbabwe Photo: Reuters

Diamonds Sharpen Zimbabwe Power Struggle -- The Telegraph

Zimbabwe’s generals are accumulating a secret slush fund from diamond sales, a campaign group claims.

Diplomats fear the vast mines put the army in a powerful position to dictate the terms of succession after the death of Robert Mugabe.

The warning comes days after Zimbabwe’s pro-democracy prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, appealed to lower ranked army and police not to participate in any coup against the constitutional order when Mr Mugabe, 86, finally dies.

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More News On Zimbabwe's Diamond Trade

Mugabe's darkest secret: An £800bn blood diamond mine he's running with China's Red Army -- The Daily Mail
Mugabe’s Chinese secret -- Pune Mirror
Diamonds Secretly Auctioned by Zimbabwe -- Diamond Price Guide
Zimbabwe holds another diamonds auction - in secret -- The Southern Times
Army to stay at Chiadzwa: Nyikayaramba -- The Zimbabwean
China's collusion with the predator elite at the Marange diamond fields -- The Zimbabwean

Blood Diamonds On Sale In Zimbabwe

Inspectors say diamonds from Zimbabwe should be
classed as 'blood diamonds' (in 2009). Photo: Reuters

Zimbabwe Gem Sale Stirs 'Blood Diamond' Fears -- NPR/AP

Zimbabwe auctioned 900,000 carats of rough gems Wednesday from a diamond field where human rights groups say soldiers killed 200 people, raped women and enslaved children.

It was the first public sale of diamonds from the notorious Marange field in eastern Zimbabwe since international regulators imposed a ban in November under rules designed to screen out conflict gems.

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More News On Zimbabwe's Diamond Sales

Africa Dispatch: Zimbabwe's Diamond 'Monitors' -- Wall Street Journal
Zimbabwe Brings Controversial Diamonds to Market Under Kimberly Supervision -- Voice of America
Zimbabwe: Rights Groups Say Gemsare Linked to Site of Horrific Violence -- New York Times
Diamond sale sets off row in Harare -- Financial Times
Zimbabwe resumes Marange diamond sales -- BBC
Diamond auction brings Zimbabwe £1.2bn pay day -- The Independent
Zimbabwe opens auctions after 'blood diamond' ban -- AFP
Zimbabwe Begins Selling Suspected Blood Diamonds -- Newsweek

The War Crimes Trial Of Charles Taylor Is Getting Interesting With Each Passing Witness

Second Witness Says Naomi Campbell Lied About 'Blood Diamonds' -- ABC News

Supermodel's Former Agent Carole White Says Campbell 'Flirted' With Dictator, Knew Diamonds Were Coming

Naomi Campbell's former modeling agent testified today that she believes the supermodel knew the alleged 'blood diamonds' she received from two men in the middle of the night were actually from dictator Charles Taylor, and that Campbell had been flirting with the warlord during dinner and was expecting the gift.

Carole White, Campbell's ex-agent, became the second witness to take the stand at an international war crimes trial Monday and dispute important elements of Campbell's testimony to the same body last Thursday. Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is on trial in the Hague for allegedly using uncut "blood diamonds' to fuel a bloody civil war, and prosecutors say Taylor's alleged gift of the gems to Campbell after a 1997 dinner at Nelson Mandela's house is proof the now-deposed dictator was buying guns in South Africa.

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More News On The War Crimes Trial Of Charles Taylor

Actress Farrow Testifies in War Crimes Trial -- Voice of America
Farrow rejects Campbell's gem claim -- Al Jazeera
Mia Farrow Claims Naomi Campbell Lied Under Oath About Blood Diamonds -- AHN
Mia Farrow Contradicts Naomi Campbell's Blood-Diamonds Claim -- Newsweek
Model 'said Taylor sent diamond' -- BBC
He's going to give me some diamonds: Naomi Campbell 'flirted with African dictator before he gave her lavish gift' -- The Daily Mail
HIGHLIGHTS - Campbell diamond testimony put to the test -- Reuters
Profile: Mia Farrow -- BBC
Charles Taylor 'gave Naomi Campbell diamonds' -- BBC
Campbell got diamonds promised by Taylor: ex-agent -- AFP
Naomi Campbell Disappointed That Blood Diamonds Weren’t Shinier -- New York Magazine

Naomi Campbell To Give "Blood Diamond" Testimony

Model Naomi Campbell attends the presentation of the Louis Vuitton luxury travelling case for the World Cup trophy in Paris June 1, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Jacky Naegelen

Models, Diamonds And Sierra Leone -- BBC

"Who? No. Sorry... We have not heard of this lady."

Naomi Campbell is, unsurprisingly, not a household name in Sierra Leone. But that may be about to change, as the British model and celebrity prepares to become a reluctant, and perhaps significant, participant in the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor - one of the alleged financiers and organisers of Sierra Leone's long and peculiarly horrific civil war.

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More News On Naomi Campbell's "Bold Diamond" Testimony

Naomi Campbell gives "blood diamond" testimony -- Reuters
Naomi Campbell granted special protection during war crimes trial -- The Guardian
Photo ban for Campbell at blood diamond trial -- ABC News (Australia)
Campbell Testimony Brings Focus to Blood Diamonds -- Diamonds.net
Sierra Leone's blood diamond legacy -- BBC
Blood diamonds at heart of Charles Taylor's warcrimes trial -- Expatica

My Comment: I sometimes wonder if this battle against "blood diamonds" is having an impact .... I can only hope that this trial will give some additional exposure on the evil of this trade, and the people behind it.

Blood Diamonds Are At The Heart Of Charles Taylor's Warcrimes Trial

Charles Taylor stands trial in The Hague, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Photo: Reuters

Charles Taylor's Warcrimes Trial: Factfile -- The Telegraph

Blood diamonds are at the heart of the trial of Liberia's ex-president Charles Taylor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The accused:

Charles Ghankay Taylor, 62, was the president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003.

He is accused of arming neighbouring Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in exchange for "blood diamonds" - so called for being mined in rebel-held regions of Africa and sold to fund warfare.

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My Comment: It is all about the money (i.e. diamonds). If the diamonds were not there, this conflict would not have reached the bloodshed that consumed it at the end.

Zimbabwe And The Diamond Trade

The Kimberley Process had blocked sales from the fields in
eastern Zimbabwe after documenting forced labour. Photo from AFP

Zimbabwe Diamonds Deal To Allow Partial Exports -- BBC

The body overseeing the trade in "blood diamonds" has agreed that Zimbabwe can resume limited exports from new diamond fields in the east of the country.

Under the terms of the deal, Zimbabwe will be able to sell some stockpiles.

It may be able to resume full exports after a review of conditions at the Marange diamond fields in September.

The Kimberley Process suspended the diamond exports in November in response to allegations of atrocities committed by security forces at Marange.

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More News On Zimbabwe And the Diamond Trade

Some Diamonds From Zimbabwe Field Cleared for Export -- Voice of America
Limited Sales of Zimbabwe Diamonds Approved -- New York Times
Diamonds From Zimbabwe Field Cleared for Export -- Wall Street Journal
Zimbabwe gets go-ahead to sell some diamonds -- AP
Zimbabwe diamonds row far from over -- BBC
Zimbabwe Allowed to Sell Diamonds, Amid Claims of Human Rights Abuses -- Newsweek
Why diamonds can't be Robert Mugabe's best friend -- Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: Blood diamonds .... I repeat .... these are just blood diamonds to continue the tyrannical rule of Mugabe and his henchman.

Zimbabwe Diamonds Will Not Get Conflict-Free Approval

A man checks raw diamonds. Photo AFP

Zimbabwe Diamonds Fail To Get Conflict-Free Approval -- New York Times

JOHANNESBURG — An international undertaking to prevent the trade in diamonds that fuel conflict ended in a stalemate Thursday over whether to approve Zimbabwe’s export of millions of carats of newly-mined diamonds, but the nation threatened to sell the stones on its own anyway.

Zimbabwe’s military has been accused of violently seizing control of the Marange fields in the eastern part of the country where the diamonds were mined and organizing smuggling operations there, prompting intense debate over giving it an international stamp of approval.

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More News On Zimbabwe Not Getting Conflict-Free Approval For Their Diamonds

Kimberley Process Keeps Diamond Ban -- Wall Street Journal
Kimberly Process Meeting Ends Without Consensus on Zimbabwe Diamonds -- Voice of America
Zim defiant about diamond export -- Mail & Guardian
Regulators fail to agree on Zimbabwe diamond trade -- Reuters

How Blood Diamonds Are Keeping Zimbabwe's Mugabe In Power

Blood Diamonds: The Illicit Trade Propping Up The Mugabe Regime -- Times Online

Bayo, a burly Guinean also known as Mr Big, threw the contents of the small plastic bag on to the bare wooden table. A handful of rough diamonds twinkled in the half-light of the shabby office.

“Put the light on,” shouted Demba, one of several “associates” squeezed into the back room of a residential home. Someone flicked the switch on a desk lamp and he pointed at the gems. “Look at this quality — very good, boss, very good. Tell me which type you want and I’ll bring them over.”

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My Comment: It is unfortunate to see that Zimbabwe is now continuing Africa's long and bloody history when it comes to blood diamonds.

Blood Diamonds Continue To Flow Form Africa

Inspectors say diamonds from Zimbabwe should be classed as 'blood diamonds'
Photo: REUTERS

Blood Diamonds Are Back -- Foreign Policy

Why the U.N.-sanctioned system that's supposed to ensure that gemstones aren't mined at gunpoint is backfiring.

It's a safe bet that most of those surprised with diamond jewelry over the holidays did not pause long, if at all, to consider where their new gemstones came from. "Santa's elves" is a good enough answer for most people, and even those who are aware that some diamonds have been known to come from African war zones may not have given the matter much thought this year.

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My Comment: It's all about the money, and with African wars and conflicts continuing (if not escalating) the need for all sides to have money to finance and purchase arm supplies and resources can only increase with time.