[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 533 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 533

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the political situation in 
                               Zimbabwe.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 24, 2008

  Mr. Kerry (for himself, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
Dodd, Mr. Obama, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Biden, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. 
Clinton, and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                             April 29, 2008

             Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the political situation in 
                               Zimbabwe.

Whereas, on March 29, 2008, parliamentary and presidential elections were held 
        in Zimbabwe amid widespread reports of voting irregularities in favor of 
        the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) 
        party and President Robert Mugabe, including, according to the 
        Department of State, ``production of far more ballots than there were 
        registered voters...[and] the allowance of police in polling places'';
Whereas official results showed that the opposition Movement for Democratic 
        Change (MDC) won a majority of seats in the parliamentary elections, and 
        independent monitors concluded based on initially posted results that 
        MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai received substantially more votes than 
        President Mugabe in the presidential election;
Whereas, as of April 24, 2008, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has still not 
        released the results of the presidential election, despite calls to do 
        so by the African Union (AU), the European Union, the Government of 
        South Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), United 
        Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, and the United States;
Whereas, on April 19, 2008, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officially 
        commenced recounting ballots cast in 23 parliamentary constituencies, 
        primarily in districts that did not support candidates affiliated with 
        ZANU-PF;
Whereas, on April 21, 2008, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband stated that 
        the ongoing recount was potentially a ``charade of democracy'' that 
        ``only serves to fuel suspicion that President Mugabe is seeking to 
        reverse the results that have been published, to regain a majority in 
        parliament, and to amplify his own count in the presidential election,'' 
        and accused him of trying ``to steal the election'';
Whereas, the Government of Zimbabwe has arrested numerous members of the media 
        and election officials, and over 1,000 Zimbabweans have reportedly been 
        fleeing into South Africa every day, while forces loyal to the 
        government have engaged in a brutal and systematic effort to intimidate 
        voters;
Whereas, on April 20, 2008, the MDC released a detailed report showing that more 
        than 400 of its supporters had been arrested, 500 had been attacked, 10 
        had been killed, and 3,000 families had been displaced, and Human Rights 
        Watch reported on April 19, 2008, that ZANU-PF is operating ``torture 
        camps'' where opposition supporters are being beaten;
Whereas United States Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad stated 
        on April 16, 2008, that he was ``gravely concerned about the escalating 
        politically motivated violence perpetrated by security forces and ruling 
        party militias'';
Whereas, while there is currently no international embargo on arms transfers to 
        Zimbabwe, a Chinese ship carrying weapons destined for Zimbabwe was 
        recently prevented from unloading its cargo in Durban, South Africa, and 
        has been denied access to other ports in the region due to concerns that 
        the weapons could further destabilize the situation in Zimbabwe;
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated on April 17, 2008, that 
        President Mugabe has ``done more harm to his country than would have 
        been imaginable...the last years have been really an abomination...,'' 
        and called for the AU and SADC to play a greater role in resolving the 
        crisis;
Whereas, the Department of State's 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices 
        stated that, in Zimbabwe, ``the ruling party's dominant control and 
        manipulation of the political process through intimidation and 
        corruption effectively negated the right of citizens to change their 
        government. Unlawful killings and politically motivated abductions 
        occurred. State sanctioned use of excessive force increased, and 
        security forces tortured members of the opposition, student leaders, and 
        civil society activists''; and
Whereas annual inflation in Zimbabwe is reportedly running over 150,000 percent, 
        unemployment stands at over 80 percent, hunger affects over 4,000,000 
        people, and an estimated 3,500 people die each week from hunger, 
        disease, and other causes related to extremely poor living conditions: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
            (1) to support the people of Zimbabwe, who have been 
        subjected to incredible hardships, including violence, 
        political repression, and severe economic deprivation, in their 
        aspirations for a free, democratic, and more prosperous future;
            (2) to call for an immediate cessation of politically 
        motivated violence, detentions, and efforts to intimidate the 
        people of Zimbabwe perpetrated by Zimbabwe's security forces 
        and militias loyal to ZANU-PF;
            (3) that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should 
        immediately release the legitimate results of the presidential 
        election and ratify the previously announced results of the 
        parliamentary elections;
            (4) that President Robert Mugabe should accept the will of 
        the people of Zimbabwe in order to effect a timely and peaceful 
        transition to genuine democratic rule;
            (5) that regional organizations, including SADC and the AU, 
        should play a sustained and active role in resolving the crisis 
        peacefully and in a manner that respects the will of the people 
        of Zimbabwe;
            (6) that the United Nations Security Council should be 
        seized of the issue of Zimbabwe, support efforts to bring about 
        a peaceful resolution of the crisis that respects the will of 
        the people of Zimbabwe, and impose an international arms 
        embargo on Zimbabwe until a legitimate democratic government 
        has taken power;
            (7) that the United States Government and the international 
        community should impose targeted sanctions against additional 
        individuals in the Government of Zimbabwe and state security 
        services and militias in Zimbabwe who are responsible for human 
        rights abuses and interference in the legitimate conduct of the 
        elections in Zimbabwe; and
            (8) that the United States Government and the international 
        community should work together to prepare a comprehensive 
        economic and political recovery package for Zimbabwe in the 
        event that a genuinely democratic government is formed and 
        commits to implementing key constitutional, economic, and 
        political reforms.
                                 <all>