Global Connection | When unilateral sanctions wear the mask of “American democracy”

Xinhua News Agency, Harare, December 4 (Reporter Zhang Yuliang) From December 9th to 10th, the United States will host the so-called “Leaders’ Democracy Summit” online. Who can participate, who cannot participate, who is a “democracy” and who is not, these are all at the discretion of the United States.

Inciting ideological estrangement and confrontation under the banner of democracy, this move by the United States has been condemned by many countries. The Zimbabweans who recently held a demonstration against Western countries’ sanctions expressed that they “do not believe in American democracy.” The United States and other Western countries promoted so-called “democracy” to plunder resources and bully other countries.

On October 25th, people held a demonstration near the U.S. Embassy in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, to protest against Western sanctions against Zimbabwe. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Sean Jusa)

“In my opinion, American democracy is the American government instilling its own values, whether to the United States or abroad. They are trying to impose American democracy on everyone. Democracy in different places should not have the same global taste as Coca-Cola. Zimbabwe People don’t believe in American democracy.” Zimbabwe’s “Broad Alliance Against Sanctions” spokesperson Sally Ngoni said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters.

Due to historical reasons during the colonial period, most of the fertile land in Zimbabwe was in the hands of a handful of white farmers. For a period of time after independence in 1980, more than 7 million blacks in the country occupied only 25% of the land.

In 2000, the Zimbabwe government began to implement land reforms, compulsorily and freely nationalized the land of white farmers and distributed it to black people who had no land. This move touched the interests of the original sovereign state. For this reason, the United States and other Western countries terminated all economic assistance to Zimbabwe and began to impose sanctions on it. The U.S. Senate even passed the “Zimbabwe Democracy Act of 2000” to “legitimate” the U.S. government’s support for the Zimbabwe opposition in the United States.

Beginning in 2002, the United States and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, and then continued to increase sanctions.

On April 5, 2005, Johnny, a young Zimbabwean who had just lost his job, was looking for a job on the streets of Harare.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Lei

In January 2005, the United States listed Zimbabwe as one of the six “outposts of tyranny” in the world. In July 2008, the United States and the United Kingdom forcibly pushed the UN Security Council to vote on a draft resolution on sanctions against Zimbabwe, and the relevant draft resolution was ultimately rejected. Since 2009, the relationship between the United States and Zimbabwe has eased, but the sanctions on Zimbabwe have not been lifted.

Nearly 20 years have passed, and the comprehensive sanctions imposed by the United States have caused Zimbabwe’s economy to collapse, soaring prices, and a sharp decline in people’s living standards. The human rights of the people of Zimbabwe, including the rights to life, food, health, development, education, and economic and cultural rights have all been violated due to sanctions.

On October 28, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, Alena Duhan, spoke at a press conference in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Sean Juusa)

The UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, Alena Duhan, said that the unilateral sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States, Britain and other Western countries have had a devastating impact on the country’s economy and aggravated the existing economic crisis in Zimbabwe. And humanitarian crisis. Especially during the new crown epidemic, the sanctions prevented the Zimbabwean government from obtaining sufficient medical supplies, which adversely affected the country’s anti-epidemic cause.

On October 25th, people held a demonstration near the U.S. Embassy in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, to protest against Western sanctions against Zimbabwe. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Tafala Muguala)

On October 25, on the “SADC Anti-Sanctions Day”, President Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe publicly stated that the illegal sanctions imposed by the United States, Britain and other Western countries have led to a sharp decline in Zimbabwe’s economic and social development, and caused a lot of damage to the country. The loss of tens of billions of dollars has severely weakened the country’s ability to respond to natural disasters and fight the new crown epidemic.

“In Zimbabwe, people don’t agree with the bullying practices being carried out by the United States. The people of Zimbabwe are with their land and their compatriots. It is democracy (Zimbabwe’s) that is supported by the majority of Zimbabweans. Let Zimbabwe adopt American democracy, whether for the sake of it. Nobody’s interests will work. I think Zimbabwe should not succumb to this situation.” Said Sally Ngoni, spokesperson for the “Broad Alliance Against Sanctions”. (Reporter: Sukara; Editing: Ma Xiaoyan, Wang Fengfeng, Jin Zheng; Editing: Wang Pei)