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Conflict Diamonds
keywords:
Conflict Diamonds, Blood Diamonds
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by Diamond News Agency
Because the individuals with their 28 diamonds—declared at a value of $800,000—were unable to show any certification, the diamonds were seized, although it is not yet known for sure whether or not they are, in fact, blood diamonds. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor still waits at the International Criminal Court in The Hague after judges rejected his request to be acquitted of all war crimes charges. The 61 year-old is accused of instigating the notorious conflict in Sierra Leone by giving support to Revolutionary United Front guerrillas during the Liberian Civil War from 1989-2003. |
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by Diamond News Agency
The Regional Magistrate found Mupeta guilty of possessing diamonds without a license. Prior to and since the trial, several much more high-profile diamond dealers have been arrested for the same charges, but acquitted under what some have called “suspicious circumstances”. Most of these same people are still dealing in diamonds, but much more discreetly. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Although the Marange diamond fields in Chiadwa are strictly off-limits to the media—per order of Zimbabwa President Robert Mugabe—a CBC crew managed to get in by joining a convoy of local MPs. They managed not only to tour the strongly guarded villages, but also interviewed people who were witnesses to the infamous Chiadzwa massacre. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, on trial at The Hague for international war crimes, has converted to Judaism, according to his wife, Victoria Taylor. The charges against him include war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under his leadership, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted genocide of the people of Sierra Leone, and were heavily involved in trafficking illegally-mined “blood diamonds”. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Due to recent allegations regarding brutality by its soldiers, Zimbabwe is facing a potential suspension from the international diamond trade. |
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by Diamond News Agency
A new regulation may allow Zimbabwe to start selling some of its alleged "blood diamonds."
For months, Zimbabwe has asked to be allowed to sell diamonds from places such as its Marange field to generate revenue for its lackluster economy.
However, the diamond fields have reportedly been prone to violence between security forces and workers. The fields were taken over by government security forces in 2008 and up to 200 people may have been killed while working in its mines.
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by Diamond News Agency
Mugabe and his Zanu-PF soldiers know that the KP has no real power. It doesn’t have an army, and it doesn’t have any real ability to ensure that sanctions are kept. Were the KP to levy sanctions, they would have no way to back them up. Mugabe’s wealth, and the wealth that he allows to drip down to his top advisers, already comes from illegally-traded diamonds. Ignoring sanctions would be no more difficult than it is to ignore the guidelines of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Still, African diamonds are largely tainted by the actions of a few countries which are still active in the blood diamond trade. For this reason, the African Diamond Council decided to create a shocking new television ad that would ask viewers to “Insist on the truth. Insist on certification”. To create the necessary buzz that would impact the African Diamond Trade as a whole, they went with an alarming, macabre ad. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Harare, Zimbabwe – In late December, Mbada Diamonds announced a diamond auction, despite only officially beginning mining in the beginning of the month. Mbada is a joint venture between Zimbabwe’s government and South African Grandwell holdings—a privately-owned company—with each owning 50% of the controversial business. “The much-anticipated sales of diamonds from the Chiadzwa/Marange diamond field are expected to start before the end of the month”, Chairman Robert Mhlanga announced.
Human Rights groups took notice. Spearheaded by the US-based Human Right Watch, an organization that has been after Kimberley Process officials to kick Zimbabwe out of their diamond certification scheme, an international initiative stopped the auction. Africa Consolidated Resources joined the cause, as they initially had legal claim on much of the fields after the ZMDC stopped mining. ACR had also filed an appeal against the initial takeover, which was set in motion by ZANU-PF officials including President Robert Mugabe. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Harare, Zimbabwe – The battle continues between Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF-run government and Kimberley Process officials, although it is decidedly one-sided. For nearly two years, the Kimberley Process has been “looking into” the conflict over the Marange diamond fields, one of the richest active alluvial fields in the world. After human rights groups stepped in and demanded that Zimbabwe be, at the very least, kicked out of the organization, a KP team went there to see what was really going on. They decided to give Zimbabwe six months to comply with all necessary standards. When that deadline passed with no change, the KP gave them another deadline. All the while, Robert Mugabe has stood fast in his conviction to use any means necessary to mine the diamonds cheaply and sell them, at the cost of the lives of his own people. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Campbell has been ordered by prosecutors to testify at the war crimes trial for former Liberian president Charles Taylor about reports that he gave the supermodel a diamond at a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 1997. |
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by Diamond News Agency
With a call to testify and a pending court date, supermodel Naomi Campbell may have felt like a diamond in the rough in a bubbling war crimes trial that featured former Liberian president Charles Taylor and the inclusion of illegal blood diamonds.
She wanted no part of it and continued efforts to avoid having to testify in court even as Rosemary's Baby actress Mia Farrow, who attended the same party as Campbell when she allegedly received her first blood diamond from Taylor, told authorities she was receiving rough diamonds from Taylor.
Even when she was ordered by law to do so, the stunning black beauty asked to postpone her testimony from July 29 to August 5.
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by Diamond News Agency
Naomi Campbell may no longer loves diamonds. In fact, she may even loathe them after what she's had to go through these past few months with this Charles Taylor blood diamonds war crimes trial.
In case you've been living under a rock, the he famed supermodel has been subpoenaed to testify that was she was given blood diamonds by former Liberian president Charles Taylor. She did everything she could to keep herself out of The Hague courtroom, even postponing her court date to August 5, but in the end, the date arrived with a vengeance. |
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by Diamond News Agency
Guess supermodel Naomi Campbell's not as worried about her blood diamonds testimony as she previously let on.
The model, who once appeared with Michael Jackson in his music video In The Closet, was previously subpoenaed to The Hague in the Netherlands to provide material evidence that former Liberian president Charles Taylor had given her non conflict-free diamonds at an event at the home of former South African president Nelson Mandela in 1997. Campbell was completely against doing the testimony and tried to have her appearance removed, then postponed from July 29 to August 5.
Next, Woody Allen's ex, actress Mia Farrow testified that Campbell was indeed given diamonds as a gift and boasted about them the day after she received them. Later, Campbell's former agent Carole White repeated the accusations but Taylor's lawyer Courtenay Griffiths accused her of presenting a pack of lies in her testimony. He said that she was using it to boost her own lawsuit against Campbell where she claims the supermodel |
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by Diamond News Agency
Things are looking a whole lot worse for Charles Taylor since supermodel Naomi Campbell testified she allegedly received blood diamonds from the former Liberian president.
Two weeks ago, Jeremy Ratcliffe, the former leader of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, admitted he secretly kept diamonds received from the model, who received the diamonds from Taylor in 1997. He only confessed this when Campbell mentioned him at the war crimes trial at The Hague in the Netherlands.
The African-American supermodel said she given Ratcliffe three stones because she wanted them to go to charity. But the former children's fund head held on to the stones because he wanted to protect the reputation of former South African president Nelson Mandela and his charity. Ratcliffe has since handed over the diamonds to the South African police on August 5th, the same day that Campbell testified in court. The uncut stones are said to allegedly be diamonds which are not conflict-free (aka blood diamonds.)
Ratcliffe has since apo |
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Conflict Diamonds keywords: Conflict Diamonds, Blood Diamonds
Wednesday, Jul 8 2009 6:56AM Diamond news agency,
Suzanne Gannon
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Kimberley Process Group Somehow Finds Its Way to Zimbabwe Although the language of the Kimberley Process only classifies blood diamonds as diamonds directly used to fund a rebel uprising certain offenses committed since the original document was written have shown that the definition needs to be broadened This includes countless acts of violence that had allegedly been carried out by the army of Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF
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WFDB Clarifies Zimbabwe Statement
Saturday, Apr 4 2009 9:26PM IDEX Online - News,
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WFDB Clarifies Zimbabwe Statement The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) issued on Friday a clarification to its warning not to trade in conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe saying its warning pertains in particular to diamonds originating from the Marange deposits
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Zimbabwe 'among conflict diamond traders'
Friday, Apr 3 2009 3:15PM Mining Industry Today: Diamond Minig News,
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Zimbabwe 'among conflict diamond traders' London - Zimbabwe and Venezuela have not been cooperating with the Kimberley Process the international effort to stamp out trade in conflict diamonds the Antwerp-based
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Diamond Body wants halt to Zimbabwe Diamond Trade
Friday, Apr 3 2009 2:35PM Diamond Investing News,
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Diamond Body wants halt to Zimbabwe Diamond Trade A global diamond group called on Thursday for a ban on trade in Zimbabwe diamonds
WFDB president Avi Paz stated
The WFDB and its membership worldwide are committed to do all it can to prevent conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe or from any other source for that matter to be traded by our members
For full story click here
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WFDB warns about use of conflict diamonds
Thursday, Apr 2 2009 5:00PM DiamondWorld News HeadLines,
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WFDB warns about use of conflict diamonds Avi Paz requests the 28 WFBD affiliated bourses to be aware about the same
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WFDB Clarifies Trade Warning With Zambia
Thursday, Apr 2 2009 1:03PM JCK Breaking News,
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WFDB Clarifies Trade Warning With Zambia The World Federation of Diamond Bourses has clarified its warning not to trade in conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe In an updated statement issued Friday the federation said the warning pertains in particular to diamonds originating from the Marange deposits
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WFDB Clarifies Trade Warning With Zambia
Thursday, Apr 2 2009 11:03AM JCK Online - Diamonds News,
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WFDB Clarifies Trade Warning With Zambia The World Federation of Diamond Bourses has clarified its warning not to trade in conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe In an updated statement issued Friday the federation said the warning pertains in particular to diamonds originating from the Marange deposits
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WFDB warns of conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe
Thursday, Apr 2 2009 7:30AM National Jeweler Network - Latest News,
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WFDB warns of conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe Antwerp Belgium--The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) is asking all 28 member bourses to avoid trade either directly or indirectly with diamonds originating from the Marange deposits in Zimbabwe
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Do Not Trade Diamonds from Zimbabwe's Marange
Thursday, Apr 2 2009 2:09AM Rapaport - News,
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Do Not Trade Diamonds from Zimbabwe's Marange RAPAPORT
Press Release ANTWERP The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) wishes to clarify that its warning not to trade in conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe pertains in particular to diamonds originating from the Marange deposits Comprehensive data descriptions and photographs of rough diamonds mined at the Marange deposits have been widely circulated by the Kimberley Pr
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Blood Diamond Action website launched by Movie and NGOs
Sunday, Mar 29 2009 7:40PM Whiteflash.com - Diamond and Jewelry News,
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Blood Diamond Action website launched by Movie and NGOs Amnesty International and Global Witness cites the history of conflict diamonds in Africa
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