Loopholes in Customs Enforcement May Allow Conflict Diamonds into US Stores
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 at 11:28PM
TheSpook
Amnesty International today warned
Valentine's Day diamond shoppers that loopholes in US Customs
enforcement may be allowing conflict diamonds into the United States.
Conflict diamonds originate from areas controlled by forces or factions
opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and
that are used to fund conflict, civil wars and human rights abuses.
"Diamonds have been and continue to be linked to terrible human rights
abuses, and concerns have mounted over links between such conflict
diamonds and money laundering by groups like Al-Qaeda," said Mila
Rosenthal, Director of Amnesty International USA's Business and Human
Rights Program. "There have been positive steps toward protecting the
legitimate diamond industry and diamond purchasers from contamination
by conflict diamonds, but US Customs enforcement needs to be aggressive
to end the flow of conflict diamonds." As part of an ongoing campaign,
Amnesty International members are petitioning US Customs and Border
Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner, urging him to clarify whether
there are periodic random checks of diamond imports and exports. Only
through such spot-checks can the US satisfy the requirement of the
Clean Diamond Trade Act to efficiently monitor diamond industry
compliance with anti-conflict diamond measures. In addition, Amnesty
International members are organizing nationwide events today, talking
to employees and consumers at shopping centers, jewelry stores and
department stores about what they can do to help stop the trade in
conflict diamonds. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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