Zimbabwe (Hansard, 6 November 2002)

§ Sir Nicholas Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of human rights abuse in Zimbabwe; if he will list the human rights abuses perpetrated in Zimbabwe that have been(a) reported to and (b) investigated by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [79327]

§ Mr. Rammell
Zimbabwe's human rights record is appalling. In its latest report on political violence dated 9 October, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum recorded 223 cases of abduction/kidnapping, 7 of rape, 1057 of torture and 58 of murder, in the period 1 January to 30 September 2002. Most of the violence has been perpetrated by Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU(PF). The vast majority of victims are opposition supporters, or those suspected of being such.
The international community, including the UK, has consistently condemned these abuses and called on the Zimbabwe Government to respect their obligations under international human rights conventions. The EU, the US and others have imposed targeted sanction on the Mugabe regime and the Commonwealth has suspended Zimbabwe from its Councils.

§ Sir Nicholas Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of food supplies in Zimbabwe; what steps he has taken to monitor the future availability of adequate food supplies for the population of Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement. [79326]

§ Mr. Rammell
The food situation in Zimbabwe remains of serious concern. We, and other donors, are doing all we can—through the UN World Food Programme and Non-Governmental Organisations—to ensure that international aid reaches the needy regardless of their political views. There is credible evidence however that other sources of food, controlled by the ZANU PF regime, are being used in support of its political objectives. We deplore this, as well as the obstruction of the work of certain Non-Governmental Organisations, which also appears to be politically motivated.
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§ Sir Nicholas Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for foreign investment in Zimbabwe. [79329]

§ Mr. Rammell
The prospects for foreign investment in Zimbabwe are poor. Figures show that it has declined by 99 per cent. since 1998. The reasons are obvious. Zimbabwe is one of the world's fastest shrinking economies. It has lost the support of major donors and international financial institutions. Its skilled labour force, faced with over 70 per cent. unemployment, food shortages and 140 per cent. inflation, is leaving the country. On top of this, the current regime in Harare has undermined the rule of law and the right to hold private property.