Paul Nyathi|Centre for Natural Resource Governance Trust, Farai Maguwu who is known for his no compromise stance on human rights violations at the Marange Diamonds Fields this week took the world by surprise when he declared that there are no incidents of forced labour at the mines.
Maguwu made the unexpected utterance in response to the American decision to block diamonds from Marange being imported into the USA on grounds that they are a product of forced labour and human rights violations.
Speaking in a widely condemned Facebook post early in the week, Maguwu disputed the US Customs and Border Protection prohibition order on the diamonds.
“I wish to make it clear that as leader of one of the organizations doing human rights work in Marange, we are NOT aware of cases of forced labour in Marange. This is mainly because artisanal miners go to Marange voluntarily. We have raised serious concerns with human rights of artisanal miners and the wider Marange community but in our analysis these do NOT amount to forced labour. Our work is guided by high ethical standards and as such we would never issue unverified information,” said Maguwu.
The US Customs and Border Protection made the prohibition based on a report prepared by the Human Rights Watch in 2009. Maguwu was a major informant to the report and was actually given an award by the international human rights watch organisation.
Maguwu was awarded the Human Rights Watch’s Alison Des Forges Award in 2011 for his touching revelation of issues from Marange.
The award celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others.
Human Rights Watch collaborates with these courageous activists to create a world in which people live free of violence, discrimination, and oppression.
Giving Maguwu the award the organisation said that he conducted extensive research documenting horrific abuses taking place in the Marange diamond fields.
“After the Marange fields were discovered in 2006, they were open to anyone, and illegal mining and smuggling flourished. Maguwu partnered with Human Rights Watch researchers to document beatings, torture, forced labour, and killings of local villagers in Marange at the hands of soldiers controlled by the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the one-time ruling party that still controls security in the coalition government.”
On May 27, 2010, two days after Maguwu met with a monitor from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (the world’s diamond control body) to discuss the abuses he uncovered in Marange, Zimbabwean authorities raided his home and offices, and arrested him on charges of providing false information about killings, torture and forced labour by military officials at the mine.
He was imprisoned for more than a month and denied medical care to punish him.
The authorities transferred him to various police cells with deplorable conditions even though he suffered from a serious health condition.
Maguwu was released in early July and only finally cleared of all charges in October. His case helped generate international attention to the serious human rights violations taking place in Marange’s diamond fields and led to calls for the Zimbabwean government to remove its troops from Marange.
“Human Rights Watch honors Farai Maguwu for his tremendous courage in exposing abuses in Zimbabwe’s diamond fields and working to end rampant violations of human rights throughout the region,” said the organisation.