[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S3409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 533--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
                    POLITICAL SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE

  Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
Dodd, Mr. Obama, and Mr. Isakson) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 533

       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.

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