[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 9022-9025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1430
  CONDEMNING RECENT VIOLENT ACTIONS OF GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE AGAINST 
    PEACEFUL OPPOSITION PARTY ACTIVISTS AND MEMBERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY

  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 100) condemning the recent 
violent actions of the Government of Zimbabwe against peaceful 
opposition party activists and members of civil society, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 100

       Whereas in 2005 the Government of Zimbabwe launched 
     Operation Muram-
     batsvina (``Operation Throw Out the Trash'') against citizens 
     in major cities and suburbs throughout Zimbabwe, depriving 
     over 700,000 people of their homes, businesses, and 
     livelihoods;
       Whereas on March 11, 2007, opposition party activists and 
     members of civil society attempted to hold a peaceful prayer 
     meeting to protest the economic and political crisis 
     engulfing Zimbabwe, where inflation is running over 3,000 
     percent and formal sector unemployment stands at 80 percent 
     and in response to President Robert Mugabe's announcement 
     that he intends to seek reelection in 2008;
       Whereas opposition activist Gift Tandare died on March 11, 
     2007, as a result of being shot by police while attempting to 
     attend the prayer meeting and Itai Manyeruke died on March 
     12, 2007, as a result of police beatings and was found in a 
     morgue by his family on March 20, 2007;
       Whereas under the direction of President Robert Mugabe and 
     the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)

[[Page 9023]]

     government, police officers, security forces, and youth 
     militia brutally assaulted the peaceful demonstrators and 
     arrested opposition leaders and hundreds of civilians;
       Whereas Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan 
     Tsvangarai was brutally assaulted and suffered a fractured 
     skull, lacerations, and major bruising; MDC member Sekai 
     Holland, a 64-year old grandmother, suffered ruthless attacks 
     at Highfield Police Station, which resulted in the breaking 
     of her leg, knee, arm, and three ribs; fellow activist Grace 
     Kwinje, age 33, also was brutally beaten, while part of one 
     ear was ripped off; and Nelson Chamisa was badly injured by 
     suspected state agents at Harare airport on March 18, 2007, 
     when trying to board a plane for a meeting of Africa 
     Caribbean Pacific (APC) lawmakers in Brussels, Belgium;
       Whereas Zimbabwe's foreign minister warned Western 
     diplomats that the Government of Zimbabwe would expel them if 
     they gave support to the opposition, and said Western 
     diplomats had gone too far by offering food and water to 
     jailed opposition activists;
       Whereas victims of physical assault by the Government of 
     Zimbabwe have been denied emergency medical transfer to 
     hospitals in neighboring South Africa, where their wounds can 
     be properly treated;
       Whereas those incarcerated by the Government of Zimbabwe 
     were denied access to legal representatives and lawyers 
     appearing at the jails to meet with detained clients were 
     themselves threatened and intimidated;
       Whereas at the time of Zimbabwe's independence, President 
     Robert Mugabe was hailed as a liberator and Zimbabwe showed 
     bright prospects for democracy, economic development, 
     domestic reconciliation, and prosperity;
       Whereas President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF government 
     continue to turn away from the promises of liberation and use 
     state power to deny the people of Zimbabwe the freedom and 
     prosperity they fought for and deserve;
       Whereas the staggering suffering brought about by the 
     misrule of Zimbabwe has created a large-scale humanitarian 
     crisis in which 3,500 people die each week from a combination 
     of disease, hunger, neglect, and despair;
       Whereas the Chairman of the African Union, President Alpha 
     Oumar Konare, expressed ``great concern'' about Zimbabwe's 
     crisis and called for the need for the scrupulous respect for 
     human rights and democratic principles in Zimbabwe;
       Whereas the Southern African Development Community (SADC) 
     Council of Non-governmental Organizations stated that ``We 
     believe that the crisis has reached a point where Zimbabweans 
     need to be strongly persuaded and directly assisted to find 
     an urgent solution to the crisis that affects the entire 
     region.'';
       Whereas Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has likened 
     Zimbabwe to a ``sinking Titanic'' and has urged southern 
     Africa to take a new approach to Zimbabwe, stating that 
     ``quiet diplomacy has failed to help solve the political 
     chaos and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe'';
       Whereas European Union and African, Caribbean, and Pacific 
     lawmakers strongly condemned the latest attack on an 
     opposition official in Zimbabwe and urged the government in 
     Harare to cooperate with the political opposition to restore 
     the rule of law; and
       Whereas United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christopher 
     Dell, warned that opposition to President Robert Mugabe had 
     reached a tipping point because the people no longer feared 
     the regime and believed they had nothing left to lose: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),  That--
       (1) it is the sense of Congress that--
       (A) the state-sponsored violence taking place in Zimbabwe 
     represents a serious violation of fundamental human rights 
     and the rule of law and should be condemned by all 
     responsible governments, civic organizations, religious 
     leaders, and international bodies; and
       (B) the Government of Zimbabwe has not lived up to its 
     commitments as a signatory to the Constitutive Act of the 
     African Union and African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights 
     which enshrine commitment to human rights and good governance 
     as foundational principles of African states; and
       (2) Congress--
       (A) condemns the Government of Zimbabwe's violent 
     suppression of political and human rights through its police 
     force, security forces, and youth militia that deliberately 
     inflict gross physical harm, intimidation, and abuse on those 
     legitimately protesting the failing policies of the 
     government;
       (B) holds those individual police, security force members, 
     and militia involved in abuse and torture responsible for the 
     acts that they have committed;
       (C) condemns government harassment and intimidation of 
     lawyers attempting to carry out their professional 
     obligations to their clients and repeated failure by police 
     to comply promptly with court decisions;
       (D) condemns the harassment of foreign officials, 
     journalists, human rights workers, and others, including 
     threatening their expulsion from the country if they continue 
     to provide food and water to victims detained in prison and 
     in police custody while in the hospital;
       (E) commends United States Ambassador Christopher Dell and 
     other United States Government officials and foreign 
     officials for their support to political detainees and 
     victims of torture and abuse while in police custody or in 
     medical care centers and encourages them to continue 
     providing such support;
       (F) calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to cease 
     immediately its violent campaign against fundamental human 
     rights, to respect the courts and members of the legal 
     profession, and to restore the rule of law while adhering to 
     the principles embodied in an accountable democracy, 
     including freedom of association and freedom of expression;
       (G) calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to cease 
     illegitimate interference in travel abroad by its citizens, 
     especially for humanitarian purposes; and
       (H) calls on the leaders of the Southern African 
     Development Community (SADC) and the African Union to consult 
     urgently with all Zimbabwe stakeholders to intervene with the 
     Government of Zimbabwe while applying appropriate pressures 
     to resolve the economic and political crisis.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, first I want to thank my good friend from Florida, 
Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
Chairman Donald Payne and Ranking Member Chris Smith, and all the other 
cosponsors of this resolution for joining me in condemning the 
egregious violence perpetrated against innocent civilians by the 
Government of Zimbabwe.
  For the past 6 years, the Government of Zimbabwe has been on a path 
of failed policies and distorted vision. As the economy of the country 
spiraled downward, the Central Bank has been unresponsive and reckless.
  Zimbabwe was once known as Southern Africa's bread basket. But after 
years of disastrous misrule, the people there now find themselves 
eating field mice to stave off hunger. Zimbabwean officials have the 
temerity to declare to the world that they eat field mice because they 
are a delicacy.
  On March 11, many segments of Zimbabwe's society joined together to 
hold a prayer breakfast to focus attention on the country's desperate 
situation. The government reacted swiftly, violently cracking down on 
the gathering. In this incident, six opposition activists were shot, 
and over 50 had to be hospitalized, including key opposition leaders, 
many of whom did not get proper treatment for their severe injuries.
  This latest incident underscores a disturbing pattern of recent 
years. The Zimbabwean Government pledges peace, then commits human 
rights violations against its own people, and it precipitates 
humanitarian crisis after humanitarian crisis. In response to 
legitimate protests, the government has retaliated with draconian 
legislation and harsh security enforcement. It transformed Zimbabwe's 
poor children into violent militia members, not unlike child soldiers 
in other ravaged African countries.
  In 2005, the Zimbabwean Government launched its infamous Operation 
Throw Out the Trash against citizens in major cities, driving some 
700,000 innocent people from their homes, businesses, and livelihoods.
  So I ask Mugabe, the dictator of this country, what kind of human 
being called himself a ``leader,'' yet is willing to commit atrocities 
against the very people he is supposed to lead?
  In spite of Zimbabwe's embittered rhetoric toward the United States, 
our

[[Page 9024]]

Congress passed, 6 years ago, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic 
Recovery Act, offering significant economic and political aid to 
Zimbabwe if it would reverse its anti-democratic and anti-people ways.
  Zimbabwe had invaded a neighboring country, grossly mismanaged its 
economy, flaunted the rule of law and democratic practices. Using the 
diplomatic tools at our disposal, our government imposed travel and 
economic sanctions against individuals who were responsible for the 
grossest violations.
  The United States remains open to change in Zimbabwe, hopeful about 
prospects and ready to reward its arrival. We clearly provided an 
opportunity for Zimbabwe to reverse course and to reap generous 
economic benefits from the American people.
  Unfortunately, the Zimbabwean leaders are bent on a bitter and 
disastrous course that no sane or rational appeal from its own citizens 
or the community of nations has been able to reverse.
  Today Zimbabwe, once one of the most promising countries of Africa, 
is a dismal shadow of its former self. It faces an unfathomable 
inflation rate of 3,000 percent, the highest on the planet, and a 
shocking 80 percent of the people of the country are unemployed.
  Our resolution condemns the economic and political madness that is 
gripping Zimbabwe and urges the government to return to sanity, end the 
state-sponsored violence, and address the needs of its people.
  I, again, want to thank all of those who cosponsored my resolution 
and urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of H. Con. Res. 100.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I am very pleased to be an original cosponsor of House Concurrent 
Resolution 100, authored by the esteemed Chair of our Foreign Affairs 
Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos). And this 
resolution, Madam Speaker, condemns the Government of Zimbabwe for its 
latest assault against political freedom and human rights in that 
country.
  Once hailed by some as a liberator, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe has 
been exposed as a tyrant and a thug.
  Under his authoritarian rule, Zimbabwe boasts the highest rate of 
inflation in the world, currently standing at an estimated 3,000 
percent. Formal sector unemployment stands at 80 percent. Literacy 
rates are declining, and life expectancy has plummeted to 38 years. 
Thirty-eight years is the life expectancy in that country.
  Large scale commercial farming has been effectively destroyed by a 
disastrous land reform program which ultimately displaced poor black 
farmers in favor of political cronies, and acute food shortages which 
have since left Zimbabweans dependent on international food aid.
  The very same party that emerged from a hard-fought struggle for 
majority rule, shouting slogans of equality and justice, has now taken 
to arresting, to beating and to intimidating anyone who dares to 
challenge its policies.
  It is clear that, absent meaningful corrective measures, Mugabe's 
legacy will be defined by his responsibility for the ruinous policies 
and draconian laws that have brought untold suffering to his people and 
the near collapse of Zimbabwe as a nation.
  Rather than address the underlying inequities that have driven 
Zimbabwe to economic and political ruin, Mugabe prefers to engage in 
soapbox demagoguery and espouse conspiracy theories of Western 
imperialism.
  He interferes with the work of nongovernmental organizations that are 
attempting to aid Zimbabweans in need. He harasses, he threatens 
foreign diplomats, and he even revokes the visas of congressional 
staffers from our Foreign Affairs Committee attempting to travel to the 
region to get a clear understanding of what is happening in Zimbabwe.
  Mugabe thumbs his nose at Western nations that condemn his assault on 
basic human rights, particularly those who appear committed to helping 
Zimbabwe realize its potential through true democratic reform.
  Zimbabwe's neighbors and the African Union should take proactive 
measures to help resolve this crisis, including by pressing the Mugabe 
regime to immediately halt its brutal crackdown, to release political 
prisoners, and to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition and 
with civil society.
  The President of Zambia already has stepped up to the plate in this 
regard, and South Africa would be well advised to follow suit.
  I thank the gentleman from California again, our chairman of our 
Foreign Affairs Committee, for introducing this very important and 
timely resolution. And I urge the full support of our House.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 5 minutes to my 
good friend from New Jersey, chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, Mr. Payne.
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H. Con. Res. 
100, and commend Mr. Lantos and the ranking member for this H. Con. 
Res. 100, condemning the violence and the violent action taken against 
the peaceful opposition party activists and members of civil society in 
Zimbabwe just a few months ago, last month in March.
  Zimbabwe has faced a number of political and economic challenges over 
the past 7 years. Every time I begin to believe that the situation in 
Zimbabwe has calmed down, something happens which reminds me of how 
volatile the situation really is.
  The March 11 crackdown on people who were gathering at a prayer 
meeting was a disturbing display of violence. Two people were killed. 
The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangari, and 
other members of the MDC were tortured while in police custody.
  Two women were beaten so severely they needed specialized medical 
care that was only available in South Africa. One of them, Sekai 
Holland, had her leg broken in three places, her knee broken and her 
arm and three ribs broken. I cannot understand what possessed security 
forces to beat a 64-year-old woman so brutally.
  And according to the people in Zimbabwe, abductions and killings 
continue. However, there are encouraging developments. What is most 
encouraging is that the regional leaders in Southern Africa have spoken 
out publicly. As recently mentioned, the President of Zambia has 
likened Zimbabwe to the Titanic, a sinking ship. Officials at the South 
African Department of Foreign Affairs expressed concern about the 
situation as well.
  The leaders of Southern Africa's Development Community held a meeting 
of extraordinary heads of state in Tanzania in the wake of violence and 
asked South African President Thabo Mbeki to help resolve the 
situation.
  This is an important step, and we should support SADC's effort. It is 
imperative that Congress do all we can to ensure that human rights and 
the rule of law are respected in Zimbabwe across the political 
spectrum.
  As Mr. Lantos mentioned, Zimbabwe had great promise. When the 
struggle to end white rule of Ian Smith was led by Mr. Nkhomo and Mr. 
Mugabe, the ZANU and ZAPO leaders, they finally were able to break the 
stranglehold of Ian Smith's government. And education was the order of 
the day, and the Zimbabweans went ahead to build a country.
  But something happened in the meantime, and the move from multi-
partyism to single-party system, and Mr. Mugabe taking all of the 
power, that was a move in the wrong direction. And so we have seen 
multi-partyism come back again. But this brutal behavior of the 
security forces must end.
  In conclusion, I think that we should take a look at the Lancaster 
House Accords because this was an agreement between Zimbabwe and Great 
Britain where there would be willing seller-willing buyer purchase of 
the land that was in the hands of the very small minority of the white 
Rhodesians.

[[Page 9025]]



                              {time}  1445

  And there has to be a program of some land distribution. However, the 
way that Mr. Mugabe has been doing it, as Mr. Lantos mentioned, in the 
past there was an attempt to assist Zimbabwe to see if we could help in 
that process, but we were denied.
  So I just ask my colleagues if they would support this resolution, 
and, hopefully, Mr. Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe will finally see 
the light.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as 
he may consume to the former Chair of the Africa Subcommittee, now the 
ranking member, Mr. Smith of New Jersey.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and 
colleague for yielding.
  I rise in very strong support of H. Con. Res. 100. I want to thank 
Chairman Lantos for sponsoring it. I think it sends a very clear and 
nonambiguous message to all parties, including the barbaric Mugabe 
regime.
  Madam Speaker, 2 years ago almost to this date, April 21, I chaired a 
hearing of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and 
International Operations entitled ``Zimbabwe: Prospects for Democracy 
after the March, 2005, Elections.'' At that time, I noted that ``Robert 
Mugabe was a hero to his people and to his fellow Africans for 
successfully standing up to racism and oppression. More than two 
decades later, however, he has so tarnished his image that it must now 
resemble the fictional portrait of Dorian Gray, showing an increasingly 
repugnant picture of a hero who has gone astray.''
  During the Mugabe reign, approximately 2.4 million people have been 
literally thrown out of their homes, and their homes have been 
bulldozed. There have been a number of killings and politically 
motivated kidnappings and torture. The government has relied on 
repressive laws to suppress freedom of speech, press, assembly, 
movement, association, and academic freedom. The Zimbabwean people have 
suffered greatly as a result of the government's extremely misguided 
economic policies, and many have died from preventable diseases. The 
U.S. Department of State concluded in its Country Reports on Human 
Rights Practices for 2006 that Zimbabwe and its government have 
``engaged in pervasive and systematic abuse of human rights.''
  Unfortunately, the situation has only worsened in 2007. The world 
community was shocked by the photos of beaten members of the political 
opposition who gathered on March 11 for a peaceful prayer meeting. 
Mugabe has continued to crack down on any political opposition and even 
threatened foreign diplomats who offered food and water to jailed 
opposition leaders.
  It is essential that the entire international community raise its 
voice in support of those seeking democratic reforms in Zimbabwe. Among 
other measures, this resolution calls upon the Southern African 
Development Community, or SADC, and the African Union to consult 
urgently with all Zimbabwe stakeholders to intervene with the 
Government of Zimbabwe while applying appropriate pressures to resolve 
the economic and political crisis.
  I must express my deep disappointment that SADC has failed to take 
decisive action with regard to Zimbabwe. Following consultations in 
Zimbabwe earlier this month, the executive director of SADC stated, 
``What's good for Zimbabwe is good for the region. What's bad for 
Zimbabwe is bad for the region. I think it's time we did less talk and 
do the work.'' On that point, I could not agree more.
  Unfortunately, rather than getting to work and pressing Mugabe to 
undertake meaningful reforms and halt his latest assault on human 
beings, on political and human rights, this statement was followed by a 
plea of support for the Mugabe regime by the International Monetary 
Fund.
  Is the complete retraction of political and human rights and the 
beating to death of innocent civilians not bad for Zimbabwe? Are 
Mugabe's disastrous economic policies, which have resulted in inflation 
rates of up to 3,000 percent, unemployment rates of 80 percent, and the 
flight of thousands of economic and political refugees from Zimbabwe 
into other SADC countries not bad for the region? And what does the 
continued coddling of Mugabe say about the SADC members' commitment to 
a ``new vision'' of responsible governance under the New Economic 
Partnership for Africa Development, which was championed by South 
Africa?
  Madam Speaker, the Mugabe government has used every means of 
suppression, every tool that they could muster, to crush those who 
disagree with that regime.
  I urge the passage of this resolution in order to send an urgent 
message to SADC and to the rest of the international community to do 
everything necessary to resolve this crisis currently crippling 
Zimbabwe and provide any and all assistance that the Zimbabwean people 
so desperately need to achieve democratic reform, peace, and economic 
prosperity.
  Again, I thank the author, Mr. Lantos, and the ranking member for 
bringing to the floor this timely and extremely important piece of 
legislation.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 100, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

                          ____________________