Rights group bows out over ‘failures’ in control of blood diamonds

Human Rights group Global Witness has left the Kimberley Process, accusing the international diamond regulatory group of refusing to address links between diamonds, violence and tyranny.

In a statement, the rights watchdog cited what it called failures in Ivory Coast, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

“Consumers have a right to know what they’re buying, and what was done to obtain it,” said Charmian Gooch, a Global Witness founding director.

“The diamond industry must finally take responsibility for its supply chains.”

Governments, the diamond industry and rights group have worked together as members of the Kimberley Process since 2003 to impose requirements on its members to enable them to certify rough diamonds as “conflict free” so that purchasers can be confident they are not funding violence.

The project was born after wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia that were fuelled by “blood diamonds”.