On April 17, the US House of Representatives, by a vote of 414-0 passed a resolution ‘condemning the recent violent actions of the Government of Zimbabwe against the peaceful opposition party activists and members of civil society.’ The resolution (H.Con Res.100) was then sent on to the Senate for consideration in the Judiciary Committee.
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Lantos of California, the resolution had 31 co-sponsors among the representatives. It calls the sponsored violence taking place in Zimbabwe a ‘serious violation of fundamental human rights,’ commends the US ambassador and other foreign officials who support political detainees and among other things calls on the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union to apply appropriate pressures on the Government of Zimbabwe to resolve the crisis.
AFJN members should encourage their senators to support and co-sponsor the companion resolution in the Senate.