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Conrad Mwanawashe Herald Reporter
WORLD renowned diamond traders and producers have castigated non-governmental organisations for disseminating falsehoods about human rights violations at the Marange diamond fields.

The diamond chiefs said the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme should stick to issues of certification and not involve itself in human rights.

World gem producers and traders were in Harare for a two-day diamond conference which ended last week.

Addressing the conference, chairman of the Dubai Diamond Exchange and former director-general of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, Mr Peter Meeus, said NGOs should not be controlled by foreign governments which have economic interests in the respective countries they operate in. “Today the NGOs became small businesses themselves. The NGOs seem to be sponsored almost entirely by (foreign) governments. Then I ask myself, ‘could it be that today the NGOs are fighting for their own relevance?’

“Could it be that is one of the reasons why we are basically confronted with something which could fit perfectly well in a horror movie, no factual substance like the story two to three years ago about this torture camp in Marange,” said Mr Meeus. “Stories which then were disseminated to the media around the world are good for publicity and fundraising but are blatantly untrue,” he added.

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development under the theme “Completing Zimbabwe’s diamond potential for the future” focusing on improving the state of Zimbabwe’s diamond industry.

It highlighted the steps taken by the country in the diamond sector since its admission as a member of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in 2011.

Mr Meeus said it was unfortunate that falsehoods were being perpetrated to tarnish Zimbabwe’s diamond sector.

“I made these very strong statements 16 months ago in Luanda. After that I was heavily criticised in the US trade press but I did not let go. So I challenged the journalist to ask the Human Rights Watch co-ordinator for Zimbabwe for his opinion about the existence of this torture camp. So he did call (the journalist) and the answer was very clear and I have it in black and white. He said; ‘I do not know specifically about this torture camp.’ Now if the Human Rights Watch co-ordinator for Zimbabwe did not know then who would know?” said Mr Meeus.

He said the allegations arose exactly three weeks after Zimbabwe was allowed to resume exports of its diamonds.

“So this whole story of a torture camp blown by the BBC and taken over by some 500 other broadcasters and thousands of newspapers around the globe, it came from somewhere.

“Human rights issues should be monitored only by institutions which do not depend on funding from foreign governments which have economic interests.”

Mr Meeus said the KP should concentrate on issues of certification as per its mandate. “If there are human rights violations they have to be judged by independent institutions that are really independent and are respected as such, that do not put stories for the sake of their own further existence,” said Mr Meeus.

“Let the KP do what it was (established to do)14 years ago. A certification scheme is a certification scheme and it is not a human rights violation checker. Let judges do what they are used to do, judge violations.” Others shared the same sentiments, saying it was grossly unfair that Zimbabwe was being subjected to intense criticism based on untruths.