Fatal Transactions Coordinator speaks out against Zimbabwean conflict diamonds

Last Tuesday, as a result of the trial against the former Liberian President and warlord Charles Taylor, Fatal Transactions International Coordinator Anneke Galama spoke out against blood diamonds and Zimbabwe in the media.

At the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where Charles Taylor is under trial, Annake Galama was interviewed by the German ARD. She explained that like Charles Taylor in the past, Zimbabwe currently is using diamonds to fuel conflict. She explained that the fact that the Zimbabwean government abuses human rights in their effort to maintain control over the country’s diamond fields is just as much of a violation of the Kimberley Process as when done by a rebel group. Therefore, she calls certified diamonds from Zimbabwe ‘morally wrong’. Watch the ARD news item here (in German and from 18.47 minutes onwards).

That same day, the international coordinator was interviewed for Dutch radio. During this interview she explained how Charles Taylor used child soldiers to dig up the diamonds he used to finance his rebellion. Also, she repeated the accusation that the Zimbabwean government is guilty of the production of conflict diamonds and therefore should be suspended from the Kimberley Process. Listen to the radio interview here (in Dutch from 1hr 9min onwards).