HARARE – An MDC MP was this weekend jailed for seven years on trumped-up charges of kidnapping. Shuah Mudiwa, was expected to disclose details of the massacre that took place in the Marange diamond fields last year. An international delegation started its probe on Monday into the human rights violations at the diamond fields, as the Kimberley Process comes under intense pressure to suspend Zimbabwe over the sale of 'blood diamonds'. (Pictured: Shuah Mudiwa jailed on trumped up charges.)

Suspended sentence
Mudiwa will serve five years of his sentence with two and a half years suspended on the condition that he does not commit a similar offence. He was convicted of kidnapping a minor in 2007. He is currently being held at Mutare Remand Prison where there is no food or blankets.

Annie Dunnebacke, from the action group Global Witness, last week warned that the facts of the murders would be impossible to establish and urged the government to come clean about the attacks. Her colleague, Amy Barry, said Mudiwa's jail sentence was therefore "extremely disappointing and very concerning”.

"The promised transparency by the Zimbabwean government is clearly not forthcoming," said Barry. "There is a great need for the government to cooperate with this delegation."

Zimbabwe has been accused of trading in blood diamonds as a result of the Marange murders, but the regulatory body has made no move to take action against Zimbabwe. This is despite hard evidence of the massacre and gross human rights violations provided by rights groups and survivors.

Human rights abuses
Last week Human Rights Watch released a report detailing how the police and the army had used brutal and deadly force to control access to the diamond fields. The report also explained that the income generated by the sale of the diamonds was being funnelled directly to Zanu (PF).

Last week, Deputy Mining Minister Murisi Zwizwai, admitted that a 'special operation' to clear the illegal miners had been carried out. He denied that any killings had taken place and said that none of the diamonds leaving Zimbabwe were 'blood diamonds'.

Meanwhile mining secretary Thankful Musukutwa told journalists on Monday that Zimbabwe was not violating any international regulations over diamond sales, and defended the army's operations in Marange.

"What we have in Marange are illegal panners who from time to time evade security forces and engage themselves in illegal digging and trading of diamonds," he said. –