Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States are not “targeted” as claimed, but instead affect ordinary people across the country.

Speaking at the International Conference on Sanctions, Business, and Human Rights in Geneva on Thursday, November 21, Ziyambi called the US claim that the sanctions are aimed at specific individuals misleading and false. He said (via The Herald):

We call for the immediate removal of these illegal sanctions. We reject the claims that sanctions are targeted at a few individuals.

This narrative by the sanctioning states is grossly misleading and hypocritical, especially in light of well-documented evidence of the devastating impact of unilateral coercive measures on the innocent populations that the sanctions are purportedly designed to protect.

Zimbabwe calls upon the international community to recognise that sanctions are an affront to our sovereignty and our people’s right to self-determination.

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We urge all nations to adhere to international law and the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. We seek not charity, but fairness. Not favouritism, but justice.

The International Conference on Sanctions, Business and Human Rights provides a global forum to discuss the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the human rights of those not intended to be targeted.

While the sanctions are often labelled as “targeted”, their effects have rippled through Zimbabwe’s financial sector and impacted everyday transactions, such as purchasing essential goods and medicines.

Ziyambi said that due to the sanctions, every transaction from Zimbabwe is scrutinised, resulting in shortages and suffering of the general population, not just the intended targets. He said:

Funds are periodically intercepted, and money transfer companies become victims of long and tedious investigations on specific transactions.

Furthermore, the imposition of secondary sanctions, and civil and criminal penalties for alleged circumventing or assisting in the circumvention of primary sanctions regimes has resulted in de-risking and over-compliance by individuals.

Over-compliance has compelled the Government, business, humanitarian organisations and individuals to explore alternative ways to procure critical goods and services, leading to high costs of goods and services.

In addition to the impact on the financial services sector, the sanctions brought a myriad of challenges to all other sectors of the Zimbabwean economy.

In the agricultural sector, failure to access lines of credit and attract investment seriously impeded development, rehabilitation and modernisation of equipment and machinery, leading to a reduction in productivity.

The market access for agricultural products, sugar, beef and cotton, among other products, was also negatively affected as the country lost its niche in the lucrative markets.

The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA), which was passed by the US Congress in 2001 and signed into law by President George W. Bush.

The US claims these sanctions are targeted at specific individuals responsible for human rights abuses, and argues that Zimbabwe’s economic struggles are due to poor management and corruption.

The International Conference on Sanctions, Business, and Human Rights is being organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of sanctions, Professor Alena Douhan, with support from the Group of Friends of the UN Charter.

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