Democracy Bill Passes House

From Office of US Representative, Ed Royce, 5th December 2001

Washington - As violence gets worse in Zimbabwe and the country descends into bedlam and disarray, the US House of Representatives passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 [S. 494] late Tuesday night by a vote of 396-11. The legislation now heads back to the Senate where is must pass again since it was slightly amended in the House International Relations Committee. The bill, supported by the State Department, was managed on the House floor by Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA). The measure provides guidelines for U.S. engagement with Zimbabwe, expresses the United States' interest in assisting the Zimbabwean people with economic development, and provides funding for such efforts when the rule of law has been established and when free and fair elections are possible.

"Today, the US House of Representatives acted against tyranny in Zimbabwe. I foresee the US working closely with the European Union, South Africa, and the other regional states to address this crisis," Royce said. "The US Congress is watching Zimbabwe. I hope President Mugabe gets the message." Royce repeated his earlier criticism of Zimbabwe's ruler, saying, "In Zimbabwe, we're sadly seeing a dictator literally burning his country down. President Robert Mugabe has sanctioned utter anarchy in his homeland in an attempt to win an election he has been pressured by Zimbabweans into holding. If he had his way, Mugabe would undoubtedly run Zimbabwe as the one-party state he ran through the 1980s," he said. "His Zanu PF party thugs have employed murder, mass beatings, systematic torture, gang rape, house burning, death threats and every type of police brutality."

Royce also slammed Mugabe for cracking down on Zimbabwe media. "Mugabe is doing all he can to see that the world isn't watching him. American reporters have been denied visas to cover his chaos and the BBC was booted out in July. Foreign journalists are routinely harassed and intimidated. Against this, we've seen many profiles in courage among Zimbabwean journalists who have born the brunt of it. Geoff Nyarota, editor of the Daily News, Zimbabwe's only independent newspaper, recently won the Committee to Protect Journalists Press Freedom Award for his courageous work uncovering government corruption," he said. Even Mugabe's so-called land reform program shows little interest in the welfare of Zimbabweans, Royce said. "Mugabe's land reform program has been to take land and give it to the generals and his cronies. Recent reports have him now giving land to Libyan business partners." Royce said if Mugabe and his ruling elite notice nothing else, they'll likely notice the bill's mention of potential personal sanctions. "This legislation importantly asks the administration to begin a process of identifying the assets of Zimbabwe's rulers to impose personal sanctions against them for breaking down the rule of law in Zimbabwe," he said.