Academics call for removal of sanctions
By Letwin Mubonesi
A group of academics in Zimbabwe under the banner of Lecturers Anti-Sanctions Network, (LASN) have embarked on research to prove that sanctions imposed by the West are detrimental to ordinary people.
They hope to convince the United States of America and their Western allies to remove the international economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
LASN national co-ordinator, Obediah Dodo who is a lecturer at Bindura State University, said the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries had detrimental effects on the livelihoods of the economically-vulnerable citizens and had contributed to the continued deterioration of the economy.
Following allegations of human rights abuses, economic mismanagement and electoral theft, the United States of America imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2001 under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera).
The late former President, Robert Mugabe denied the allegations, adding that the sanctions were a punishment for his reform programme which took land from white farmers to resettle landless blacks.
“We, the intelligentsia of the Republic of Zimbabwe, hereby take a stand to unmask the myths surrounding the sanctions saga bedevilling Zimbabwe. We acknowledge that like any other sovereign State, Zimbabwe has its own fair share of internal contradictions which we, as Zimbabweans, should deal with, guided by our own peculiar socio-cultural dynamics,” said Dodo.
He also added that, “In a bid to contribute to the cause of our sovereign nation, we shall engage in rigorous research and make presentations and submissions to the international community and particular Western countries for a relook into the issue of sanctions.
“We shall equally collaborate with any other stakeholder with vested interest in debunking the international economic sanctions (IES) imposed on Zimbabwe, through conferences, publications and formal petitions to have the sanctions removed for Zimbabwe to have a chance to breathe.”
The lobbying group (LASN) said it had opened its doors to other stakeholders who might be interested in this fight for the removal of sanctions.
“From the onset, we hereby declare that our position is that of academics who rely on verifiable facts to petition for the removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.”
“We also seek to bust the sanctions through research and innovation. Accordingly, membership to this network is by own volition, with each member free to take his/her own preferred political orientation, yet meeting on the common goal that sanctions on Zimbabwe may be ‘targeted’ ideally, but practically, they are non-discriminatory to the economic dynamics of Zimbabwe.”
SADC last year, set aside October 25 to support the call for sanctions removal.
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