HOW RUTENDO BEREZA MATINYARARE DESTROYED US, EU AMBASSADORS DURING A DEBATE ON ILLEGAL SANCTIONS HOSTED BY HOPEWELL CHIN’ONO

Compiled and Edited By Taonga Botolo

On October 25, which happens to be Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Day, popular journalist Hopewell Chin’ono organised a debate on whether the sanctions have destroyed Zimbabwe economy or not.

Chin’ono had European Union (EU) Ambassador Timo Olkkonen and US Ambassador Thomas Hastings as well as Head of Public Diplomacy in the South Africa Government Clayson Monyela as guests.

It all started well until the host (Chin’ono) unblocked from his twitter account a fearless anti-sanctions activist Rutendo Bereza Matinyarare (RBM) so as he could participate in the deliberations.

The result of allowing Matinyarare to take part in the debate was distastrous for the two distinguished envoys as they could not stand RBM’s eloquence and hard hitting facts on the subject matter.

RBM is a leading campaigner of anti sanctions under the movement called Zimbabwe Unite Against Economic Sanctions banner.

The two ambassadors came into the discussion grossly unprepared, ignorant about sanctions and international law as well as incompetent, according to a write up on RBM’s facebook account.

“Both tried to weave lies about the sanctions and were badly exposed in the engagement just after a few questions and quotes of the sanctions and international law. Both ambassadors accepted that their sanctions were punishment imposed on targeted individuals, government and by deduction civilians without trial,” observed Matinyarare.

The US deputy ambassador Thomas Hastings, tried to defend his country by saying that the US only has sanctions on only 87 targeted individuals by describing ZDERA as legal measures and not sanctions.

However, when RBM pinned him down on why he says ZDERA are not [congressional] sanctions, yet the statement of ZDERA calls them sanctions, “Hastings was speechless, couldn’t explain but he acknowledged that ZDERA are prohibitions and the words sanctions appear in the ZDERA Act twice, debunking his own attempt to say that they are not sanctions.”

RBM did not stop there. He went on to ask him why he says executive order sanctions EO13469 are targeted on 87 individuals when the sanctions clearly prohibit and threaten to punish anyone clearing funds, trading, giving logistics, selling software and assisting the Zimbabwean government, its companies, parastatals or municipalities, with sanctions.

The US envoy erroneously attempted to answer the question by saying that those words or prohibitions (that are backed by penalties and prison sentences according to the IEEPA) did not mean that the Zimbabwean government was sanctioned but it meant that the Zimbabwean government could be sanctioned.

“This is clearly false because the International Emergency Economic Powers Act clearly prohibits any US and those from third party countries wanting to do business in the US from clearing funds, giving loans, trading or assisting any country upon which the US President has declared a national emergency upon or those who do business with such an entity. And those who disregard such express prohibitions and blockades can have property confiscated and their directors imprisoned and fined,” highlighted Matinyarare.

Asked further on which court the US and EU tried the Zimbabweans who are being collectively punished by sanctions?

The envoy said, “the listed people were never tried and they were punished without trial but the people on the list had the right to appeal their presence on the list.”

This was an acknowledgement that sanctions are extrajudicial punishment of targets and civilians, and sadly, civilians don’t have a right to appeal sanctions on them as the targets do, added RBM.

When it was the EU ambassador’s turn, he made the claim that the EU has no sanctions on Zimbabwe but just the Zimbabwe Defense Industries.

Matinyarare counter attacked: ” I asked him how he can say they have no sanctions on Zimbabweans when the EU, UK, Canada and Australia are cited as part of ZDERA with America and ZDERA is collectively punishing Zimbabweans.”

The EU envoy avoided answering the question totally.

RBM did not end there but went further to ask the EU envoy why they as the EU had sat quietly without condemning this crime against humanity of ZDERA and US executive order sanctions that are punishing civilians collectively, yet their EU Human Rights Charter does not accept the violation of human rights.

The anti-sanctions activist then put it to the ambassador that EU had no legal basis to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe or to support American crimes against humanity and so their support of this crime, the breaking of international law and human rights law was due to racism.

On his part, the EU envoy took an offence with the racism accusations.

He then went on a rant about how the Europeans are not racist as they detest racism.

Then it was the turn of South Africa’s Clayson Monyela who claimed Zimbabweans were appealing to him for them as South Africa to pressure on Zimbabwe to respect human rights.

This was a big mistake by Monyela to accuse Zimbabwe of human rights abuses when South Africa has been the killing zone for Zimbabwean drivers and other foreigners.

“Mr Monyela does South Africa have any moral standing or authority to try and hold Zimbabwe accountable for claims of human rights violations made by MDC supporters who called for the crime against humanity of sanctions, when they [South Africans] are currently being taken to the ICC for failing to address over 200 xenophobic Zimbabwean truck driver murders in South Africa?” Queried.

Added RBM: “Can South Africa mediate on human rights issues in Zimbabwe, when it has the worst political violence on the continent after over 100 murders of politicians have happened in just Kwazulu Natal over the past three years?”

“Not only that, but South Africa also has 200 women raped in police custody and 150 deaths from torture in police cells every year,” RBM further pinned down Monyela.

Monyela was left mouth agape. Could not say a word as RBM’s hard hitting facts took him unawares.

It had to take the host Chin’ono to intervene and decided that the questions to Clayson were unfair. That is how the blockbuster debate on illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe ended.

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