Keep EU sanctions on Zimbabwe - model letters

Campaign to keep EU sanctions on

Zimbabwe

December 2006

The TUC is concerned that the EU sanctions applied to Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe must be renewed when it comes to its end in February 2007. We have joined forces with the ITUC, ETUC and Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) among others to press governments in Europe to renew the existing measures. (For more information, see www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-12689-f0.cfm).

In particular, there are rumours that the French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish governments would be willing to see the restrictions lapse. We are therefore in contact with the national trade union confederations of those countries to lobby for sanctions to be renewed. And the TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to the UK Ambassadors of each of the four countries to ask them to urge their governments to renew the sanctions regime.

Please do the same and write to the Ambassadors, using the form letter below. If you can vary the letter to personalise it, please do so.

Model letter

Your Excellency

EU Sanctions against President Mugabe's Regime

I write to request your support for the renewal of EU sanctions against President Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe when they expire in February.

Targeted sanctions were imposed on the regime in 2002 following the disputed re-election of President Mugabe and in reaction to the violence inflicted by the supporters of the ruling party on the farming community. Since then, there has been a steady deterioration. The economy is on the verge of collapse, with officially confirmed hyperinflation at some 1,200% per year. The country's GNI shrank by some 54% in 2000-2005 while unemployment today is over 80%. In essence, President Mugabe, through mismanagement of the economy, has reduced his country to a land of penury and starvation.

The violations of human rights have gone unabated. Last year, hundreds of urban dwellings were demolished and more than 30,000 people were arrested under the guise of 'a clean-up campaign'. In September this year, a large number of trade unionists and human rights activists were arrested and subjected to brutal assaults, following a peaceful protest over the state of the economy and shortages of essential medicines. Some trade union leaders were so savagely beaten up by the police that they sustained severe injuries including compound fractures. The General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) had to undergo surgery following the assault.

I strongly believe that the EU should maintain the sanctions in order to exert pressure on the Regime to ensure that democracy and the rule of law are restored and that the people of Zimbabwe are allowed to exercise their rights. I request your government to support the renewal of sanctions against President Mugabe's regime when they expire.

Yours faithfully

Send letters to these addresses

HE Mr Fernando Andresen Guimaraes
Ambassador for Portugal Embassy of Portugal
11 Belgrave Square
London SW1X 8PP

HE Signor Giancarlo Aragona KCVO
Ambassador for Italy
Embassy of Italy
Davies Street
14 Three Kings Yard
London W1K 4EH

HE Señor Don Carlos Miranda
Count of Casa Miranda
Ambassador for Spain
Embassy of Spain
39 Chesham Place
London SW1X 8XB

HE Monsieur Gérard Errera
Ambassador for France
Embassy of France
58 Knightsbridge
London SW1X 7JT