Archive for August, 2011
BBC Report: Zimbabwe Running Torture Camps for Diamond Miners
Friday, August 26th, 2011An investigation by the BBC has revealed the existence of torture camps near the valuable Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe. According to the article, the main torture camp is located just a mile away from one of the principal Marange diamond mines. Local diamond miners who refuse to hand over their earnings to Zimbabwean [...]
A Year Later, Conflict Minerals Law Provokes Debate
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011It’s not very often that Congress passes new legislation aimed at breaking the link between violence and gold mining. So last summer, when Congress approved a law aimed at stopping the export of certain “conflict minerals”—gold, as well as tin, tantalum, and tungsten—from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we expressed our strong support. Now, with [...]
With Zimbabwe Diamond Ban Faltering, Monitoring Becomes Critical
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011The Kimberley Process is in such disarray right now that its decisions are barely possible to decipher. But it’s looking increasingly official that the ban on exports from Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields has been lifted. At a Kimberley Process meeting on June 24, the diamond certification scheme’s chair, Mathieu Yamba of the Democratic Republic of [...]
