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From: as on 18 Jul 2010 07:29
Pressure mounts for diamond researcher�s release from jail

By Alex Bell

09 July 2010

Pressure is continuing to mount for the immediate release of diamond
researcher Farai Maguwu, who remains in custody in Harare more than a
month since his arrest.

Maguwu is being held in hospital at Harare Remand Prison, where he is
being treated following surgery to his throat. He has been denied
bail and the ruling on a second application for his release has been
delayed until next week. He was arrested shortly after a meeting with
the Kimberley Process Monitor Abbey Chikane, where he detailed the
ongoing human rights abuses at the Chiadzwa diamond fields.

Calls for his release have been growing since his arrest in early
June and the European Union�s Parliament this week added its voice to
the calls. Groups like Amnesty International, the Southern African
Litigation Centre and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition have all urged
the government to unconditionally and immediately release Maguwu.
Another group, Global Witness, has also called for Chikane to be
suspended as the monitor to Zimbabwe, saying his credibility is
compromised.

�Maguwu�s arrest is directly related to the information he handed in
confidence to Abbey Chikane,� said Global Witness campaigner Annie
Dunnebacke said. �The whole monitoring system should be suspended
just as Zimbabwe should be suspended from international trade.�

Dunnebacke told SW Radio Africa on Friday that Kimberley Process
members also need to join the calls for Maguwu�s release, emphasising
the importance of the CRD in continuing their research at Chiadzwa.

�We need that voice to shout about rights abuses in the diamonds
fields,� Dunnebacke said. �It is crucial for the Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme to uphold human rights if it is to maintain its
credibility.�

The MDC on Friday meanwhile finally called for Maguwu�s release,
saying in a statement that it �condemns the continued persecution of
human rights activist Farai Maguwu who continues to be harassed and
incarcerated at the notorious Harare Remand Prison.�

�The dramatic arrest, detention and continued persecution of Maguwu,
the director for the Centre for Research and Development, is a major
blemish on the rule of law and the reputation of the inclusive
government,� the MDC statement read.

The party added that �it is clear that Maguwu�s crime is that he
exposed illegal diamond transactions and human rights abuses by some
senior ZANU PF officials at the Chiadzwa diamond fields.�

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