Beyond "Conflict Diamonds:" a New Report on Human Rights and Angolan Diamonds
A Roundtable discussion with Rafael Marques, author of a new human rights report entitled "Lundas, the Stones of Death: Angola's Deadly Diamonds." In this report, Marques and co-author Rui Falcão de Campos examine patterns of human rights abuses linked to the diamond industry in the Lunda region in 2004. Download the full text of this report in English or Portuguese.
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Overview
A Roundtable discussion with Rafael Marques, author of a new human rights report entitled "Lundas, the Stones of Death: Angola's Deadly Diamonds." In this report, Marques and co-author Rui Falcão de Campos examine patterns of human rights abuses linked to the diamond industry in the provinces of Lunda-Norte and Lunda-Sul during the course of the year 2004. The corruption and lawlessness in these diamond-rich provinces both permit routine human rights abuses, and prevent fair distribution of the wealth generated from the lucrative industry.
The report draws on evidence collected in these two provinces to argue that, by focusing on "conflict diamonds," the international community has allowed inhumane conditions to persist within legally sanctioned, but largely unregulated, diamond enterprises. The report documents new cases of extra-legal detention, sexual abuse, and even deaths linked to the diamond trade, in order to demonstrate the human cost of this regulatory neglect.
Rafael Marques served for six years as the Open Society Institute Director in Angola. Prior to joining the Open Society Institute, Marques acted as a correspondent for several international media outlets. He has received the Award of Outstanding Courage from the National Association of Black Journalists and the Freedom Passport from the European Parliament. Co-author Rui Falcão de Campos is a Portuguese attorney and former University professor. His current practice focuses on civil rights, white-collar crime and corruption.
Full Text
Download the full text of this report in English or in Portuguese.
Multimedia
The slides shown at this event can be viewed in Quicktime format by following the links below:
The Diamond Industry in Cafunfo
Cases Discussed in Report (Some material may be graphic)
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Africa Program
The Africa Program works to address the most critical issues facing Africa and US-Africa relations, build mutually beneficial US-Africa relations, and enhance knowledge and understanding about Africa in the United States. The Program achieves its mission through in-depth research and analyses, public discussion, working groups, and briefings that bring together policymakers, practitioners, and subject matter experts to analyze and offer practical options for tackling key challenges in Africa and in US-Africa relations. Read more
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