Laurence Socha, the Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Embassy in Zimbabwe has said the primary goal of targetted sanctions is to bring about positive changes and behaviour.
On Monday, 04 March, the U.S. government sanctioned President Emmerson Mnangaga, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and 9 other influential Zimbabweans under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The U.S. government accuses Mnangagwa and the other 10 sanctioned individuals of egregious corruption and violating human rights.
Responding to questions from journalists during a press conference at Crowne Plaza in Harare this Wednesday, 06 March, Socha said the U.S. sanctions are not intended to be permanent. He said:
The 11 individuals and three entities sanctioned under the current Global Magnitsky designations are there for their flagrant human rights abuses and corrupt behaviour.
U.S. policy, our policy has not changed. Our policy on Zimbabwe supports the citizens of Zimbabwe and its democratic institutions. That has not changed.
But this is a shift in approach and it’s consistent with our focus on corrupt actors and human rights abusers. U.S. sanctions are not intended to be permanent.
One of the primary goals of U.S. sanctions is to bring about positive changes and behaviour.
That might take time, but we encourage the government of Zimbabwe, including members of the government named in these March 4th designations, to take concrete steps towards democratic reforms that they have said that they seek.
The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act is a significant piece of legislation enacted in December 2016. It empowers the President of the United States to take specific actions against foreign individuals or entities engaged in human rights violations or corruption.
Sanctions under the Global Magnitsky programme aim to target systemic corruption and human rights abuse, including the networks that engage in, facilitate, or perpetuate sustained patterns of such illicit behaviour rather than incidental acts by individual targets.
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