June 23, 2003
Senator Russ Feingold, one of Zimbabwe's great crusaders in the United States Senate, made the following statement on Monday, June 9, 2003:
Mr. President, today I draw my colleagues' attention to the situation in Zimbabwe, where courageous citizens continue to protest the political repression and economic collapse that have plunged their country into crisis.
Since 2000, President Mugabe has made a series of decisions intended to tighten his grip on power regardless of the cost to the country, trampling on the independence of the judiciary, harassing the independent media, manipulating the political process, intimidating opposition supporters, destroying the economy, and exacerbating a food crisis. A very real and legitimate issue the need for meaningful land reform was for a time employed as a fig leaf for the regime. But it has long been clear that this government is not interested in justice, only in power.
Last week's general strike has been the latest manifestation of public dissatisfaction. Reports from the region indicate that security forces are violently suppressing efforts to demonstrate in the streets, using rubber clubs, rifle butts, water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition to disperse crowds, according to the Associated Press. Some 300 people have been arrested, including opposition parliamentarians. At this difficult time, it is important that the people of Zimbabwe know that the world is watching, and that like the Zimbabweans demanding change, the international community has not lost hope for the country.
I was proud to work with the distinguished Majority Leader, Senator Frist, on the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, a bill which was passed into law in the last Congress. This legislation makes it clear that when the rule of law is restored in Zimbabwe, and when the civil and political rights of citizens are respected, the United States will come forward to help the country recover, rebuild. We will continue to fight the AIDS pandemic that is taking such a terrible toll on Zimbabwean society. I look forward to the day when we can follow through on that commitment, Mr. President, and help Zimbabwe to realize its tremendous potential as an engine of growth and model of participatory democracy in the region. Time after time, news reports confirm that Zimbabwe is full of patriots -- citizens who refuse to allow their country to be hijacked by a self-serving cabal, independent journalists who risk torture when they seek to report the truth rather than the ruling party line, parents who want their children to grow up in a Zimbabwe free from repression and corruption. These people deserve our support and our admiration.
All letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions of the submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice for Agriculture.