EDITORIAL: SANCTIONS HAVE NO SPACE IN CIVILISED WORLD; THEY MUST FALL AND THEY MUST FALL NOW

By Martin Makoni and Taonga Botolo

The attacks on UN Rapporteur, Professor Alena Douhan, in a letter riddled with falsehood and rank hypocrisy dispatched by renowned puppets in the name of Hopewell Chin’ono, Jonathan Moyo, David Coltart, Alex Magaisa and Crisis Coalition to US President Joe Biden, were as ridiculous as they are dangerous.

The letter characterizes UN Rapporteur, Professor Douhan, as “…well known for being captured and biased… (with) a history of taking bribes from dictators… making reports that ignore the reasons why sanctions were imposed… (and whose) reports were in favor of the dictatorships in Syria and Venezuela…”

The evidence offered in the letter for these assertions include the ‘fact’ that Professor. Douhan “…is not even a UN Envoy… is being funded by these dictators… made a statement against US sanctions on Syria’s regime, saying that they inhibit rebuilding of Syria’s civilian infrastructure destroyed by the war, and may “violate the human rights of the Syrian people.” All these statements were false, biased and dangerous as they were actually the opposite of what is currently happening in that country…”

Without a pause to reflect the letter demands resolution of the ‘crisis’ in Zimbabwe “…by a credible internationally facilitated process…”

Well, that was quite the defamatoriously libelous mouthful of allegation.

In one gasp this shameless cabal attempts to justify unilateral US sanctions on three continents by painting Professor Douhan as some sort of stooge.

They would, apparently, have us conclude that the UN lacks credibility and that the US Government has it in utmost abundance.

Well, gentlemen, be my guests.

But, aside from partisan appeals to emotion in the hallowed name of human rights and democracy, perhaps now would be a good time to appeal to facts, reason and objective reality.

For instance the fact that Professor Douhan is the second UN Special Rapporteur after the role was created by a resolution of the UN Human Rights Council in 2016.

So yes, Professor Douhan is in fact a UN Envoy.

To question the legitimacy of Professor Douhan’s work in her capacity as UN Special Rapporteur is therefore to deny the powers of the UN Human Rights Council.

And all this mind you, to undermine the global consensus enshrined in the UN Charter which explicitly forbids unilateral sanctions such as those imposed on Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

On close inspection this is in fact the single defining thread in this cabal’s vacuous ramblings purporting to be a coherent letter; the shameless defense of a schizophrenic nuclear hegemony terrorising sovereign nations that dare operate outside its dictates.

It is no more than collusion with a hostile foreign power by Biti and Co. who also confirmed Washington’s gross interference in the sovereignty of Zimbabwe via the former US Ambassador in Harare Mr. Brian Nichols.

Those familiar with Syria-US relations can concur that certain facts concerning the outbreak of war in 2011 cannot be glossed over.

One of these facts is that the role of successive US administrations in capacitating radical Islamic groups in the region predates that war.

In any sane mind, that Professor Douhan would conclude “US sanctions on Syria inhibit rebuilding of Syria’s civilian infrastructure destroyed by the war, and may violate the human rights of the Syrian people” is simply an expression of cause and effect.

There is no potential for obfuscation here.

All one must do is visit Syria, observe the carnage and rubble of a foiled US-led regime change proxy war and ask themselves how sanctions are helpful.

In the case of Venezuela, Caracas’ strained relationship with the US was a result of the Venezuelan Government’s decision to nationalize oil resources under former President Hugo Chavez.

Any observer who cannot see a pattern here of blatant interference under dubious pretence as a matter of policy by Washington is not worth to be given much attention.

As for the barefaced fabrication that “…The government of Mnangagwa has continued to demonstrate inability to bring security to the people of Zimbabwe as it continuously employs violence against the opposition, particularly the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance…” the suitable response would be a review of several documented, amateurishly executed false flag operations by Mr. Chamisa’s MDC-Alliance since 2018, including faked abductions caught on CCTV. Incidentally, the US embassy in Harare played a leading role in making these claims of abduction front page news. But for now this would be a digression.

Suffice to say the cabal’s letter is no more than a PR stunt to legitimize attempts at coercion of sovereign nations.

The pro-sanctions cabal’s calculations in requesting the Biden administration “…to appoint a Presidential Envoy to lead a coordinated U.S. response to the crisis… support the appointment of a U.N. Envoy to Zimbabwe… support the imposition of more sanctions against Mnangagwa and his government… (and) cut all forms of development assistance to Zimbabwe….” neither serves the MDC-Alliance’s 2023 election hopes nor US democratic pretensions.

Can the explicit, heinous request to cut off development aid to Zimbabwe secure any positive outcome?

In effect, this cabal is entreating US policy to progress in its seemingly interminable contempt for international conventions.

Joe Biden is in danger of becoming a Democrat iteration of Donald Trump; one who disdains the jurisdiction of multilateral institutions in spite of longstanding agreements. No amount of bleach can take this stink out of US foreign policy.

If the US is proved willing to break the laws that hold our international relations in place, on account of its narrow political considerations, what exactly is the Biden administration intending to “build back better”, if anything?

What motivation will other nuclear powers have to submit to the protocols currently underpinning the noble ideal of a rules based order?

In this latest stunt the pro-sanctions cabal of Mr. Biti et. al is frankly skating on thin ice in the middle of the burning Sahara with jetpacks of flaming blowtorches in tow.

This desperate attempt to pre-empt the findings of UN Special Rapporteur Professor Douhan can only be a harbinger of the many skeletons set to tumble out of the MDC-Alliance and US government’s closet.

What remains to be seen is the extent of their own ability to take valid criticism and reform their own institutions and policies of intolerance toward sovereign nations that hold opposite views.

That, after all, is the root of democracy.

UN, through its rapporteur, has an opportunity to intervene and free Zimbabweans from the nocturnal sanctions.

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