[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 87 (Friday, June 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7868-S7869]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                ZIMBABWE

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I rise today to bring to the attention 
of the Senate the oppression of democracy and freedom underway in 
Zimbabwe. A number of my colleagues, including the Senators from 
Arizona and Kentucky, have led this body in discussions about 
oppression in Burma. I share their concerns.
  But as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African 
Affairs, I would be remiss not to note a struggle in Zimbabwe that 
bears at least some similarity to events in Burma. As in Burma, the 
leader of the democratic opposition in Zimbabwe has been imprisoned by 
an illegitimate government in a cruel attempt to maintain power.
  The so-called ``President'' of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has engaged 
in a systematic campaign of intimidation, torture, and terror to 
oppress opposition to his rule over Zimbabwe. Since the elections of 
2000, when Mugabe's ruling party rigged the elections in its favor and 
terrorized voters for the opposition, Zimbabwe has been thrown into a 
downward spiral. Youth brigades not unlike the Hitler Youth or Chinese 
Red Guard roam the streets and invoke terror on those who resist 
Mugabe's rule. The country's infrastructure, which was fairly good 
prior to this time, has deteriorated rapidly.
  In the last week the situation has grown worse. A little over 1 week 
ago, for the second time this year, the people of Zimbabwe stood up and 
said enough is enough. Strikes and work stoppages occurred throughout 
the country as many citizens engaged in a massive protest of Mugabe's 
illegitimate regime. Many rightly blame Mugabe not only for political 
turmoil, but also economic decay, led by fuel and food shortages.

[[Page S7869]]

  The government's response was swift and brutal. Armed troops 
descended upon neighborhoods where opposition members lived and 
violently beat those suspected of opposing Mugabe. More than 800 
individuals were arrested, many of them tortured. According to the most 
recent reports I have seen, about 150 individuals have now been 
released, but only after paying an ``admission of guilt'' penalty of 
$3,000 to $5,000. In order to get out of jail, you have to admit your 
guilt and pay a huge fine.
  Here is Mugabe's justification. He is quoted as saying, ``The actions 
are blatantly illegal in that they are aimed at an unconstitutional 
removal of the country's head of state.'' He is essentially saying that 
by protesting his rule, protestors are committing a crime. And he is 
arresting and torturing them as a result. The only crime being 
committed is the continued rule of Robert Mugabe.
  Just prior to the first crackdown in March, which followed a similar 
protest and work stoppage, Mugabe said, and I am quoting, ``I am still 
the Hitler of the time.'' Let me say that again. He said, ``I am still 
the Hitler of the time.'' He purposely chose to compare himself to 
Adolph Hitler, perhaps the most evil leader in the entire 20th century. 
After that announcement in March, military forces loyal to Mugabe burst 
into people's homes in pre-dawn raids, raping and beating those 
suspected of supporting the Movement for Democratic Change, Zimbabwe's 
opposition party. Torture tactics included rape, electrocution, forced 
consumption of chemicals and urine, cigarette burning, whipping with 
steel cable, barbed wire and sustained beatings.
  What makes these events truly tragic is that prior to Mugabe's 
actions, Zimbabwe was not a dilapidated country ready to collapse. On 
the contrary, it was a leading African nation with a strong economy and 
infrastructure. Zimbabwe's roads were among the best in Africa, and its 
agricultural sector was a major exporter. As an example of the rapid 
decline Zimbabwe faces, their GDP has shrunk from $9.3 billion in 2001 
to only $5.4 billion today. It has been cut nearly in half in only 2 
years.
  The latest news reports from Zimbabwe show that Mugabe is now 
actively imprisoning and torturing leaders of the opposition party, the 
Movement for Democratic Change or MDC. Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of 
the MDC, is in prison and charged with treason as are hundreds of party 
activists. Tsvangirai lost last year's rigged Presidential elections, 
and has begun legal proceedings against Mugabe because the elections 
were not conducted properly. I can only hope that Tsvangirai and the 
MDC survive Mugabe's violent rampage against them.
  The White House and the State Department have responded to this 
crisis, and I hope will continue to work to achieve a change of 
leadership in Zimbabwe. President Bush recently imposed sanctions on 
the Mugabe government. The sanctions, which began on March 7, prohibit 
any U.S. corporation from making business deals with Zimbabwe and also 
freeze any assets top Zimbabwean officials in the Mugabe government may 
have in U.S. banking institutions. The State Department has condemned 
Mugabe's actions, and taken other appropriate diplomatic action.
  The people of Zimbabwe deserve better. They deserve better than a 
regime that commits violence on its own people. They deserve better 
than to see their economic infrastructure destroyed by a dictator-on-
the-rampage. And they are standing up for themselves by actively 
demonstrating against this terrible regime. I hope other countries in 
the region will join with the United States and others in opposing this 
brutal regime in the hope of bringing new, democratic leadership to 
power in Zimbabwe.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

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