IRIN Chronology of EU sanctions

The following is a chronology of events over the last two months that have culminated in the European Union (EU) withdrawing its election monitors and imposing sanctions on leading members of the Zimbabwean government. 20 February - Amnesty International expresses concern that the pull-out of European Union (EU) observers will result in an escalation of human rights violations in Zimbabwe. 20 February - Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says Commonwealth leaders meeting in Australia next month are not expected to take any action against Zimbabwe until after the presidential election on 9-10 March. 20 February - A Zimbabwean human rights group alleges that opponents of the Zimbabwean government are being abducted to "torture centres" across the country that serve as bases for ruling party militia. 19 February - Zimbabwe's Deputy High Commissioner to Pretoria rejects allegations, contained in a report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), that opposition supporters are denied healthcare at state institutions. 19 February - Two leading regional analysts tell IRIN that predictions for Zimbabwe's short term economic future are dire, no matter who wins next month's elections. Reports from Washington say the United States is to impose sanctions in line with the EU. 18 February - It's too late for free and fair presidential elections in Zimbabwe, but the deployment of international observers in remote areas could help stop politically motivated violence and torture, the human rights group Amani Trust tells IRIN. However, the expulsion of EU head observer Pierre Schori leads the EU to impose sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and 19 of his political associates, the remaining members of the EU observer team are withdrawn. Sanctions include a travel ban and the freezing of assets in Europe. 16 February - Schori is ordered to leave Zimbabwe immediately. 15 February - Zimbabwe revokes Schori's tourist visa. 14 February - The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) denies that its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, had ever discussed an assassination attempt on Mugabe. This follows a film broadcast by an Australian television station purportedly showing Tsvangirai discussing Mugabe's "elimination". 14 February - The UN Development Programme says Zimbabwe's controversial "fast-track" land reform programme is the cause of much of the economic, political and social instability in the country. 11 February - Zimbabwe says it will not accredit Schori, who arrives in Harare despite a ban on observers from Sweden and five other European countries, from overseeing the March elections. 7 February - Zimbabwe faces a critical shortage of maize with preliminary production figures looking gloomy, the Grain Producers Association (ZGPA) tells IRIN. A report by Zimbabwean human rights NGO's says 16 people died in political violence in January. 4 February - An EU representative in Harare tells IRIN that Brussels is going ahead with preparations to monitor the March elections, despite the lack of a formal invitation from Mugabe. 1 February - The EU joins international condemnation of Zimbabwe's new media laws, calling them a nail in the coffin of democracy. 31 January - Zimbabwe's parliament approves a law limiting the freedoms of the independent and foreign press ahead of presidential elections in March. 28 January - EU foreign ministers agree in principal to impose targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe if Harare fails to allow an EU election observer mission into the country by 3 February, and lift a ban on foreign journalists. 24 January - The first delivery of UN emergency relief supplies arrives in Zimbabwe as food shortages bite, the World Food Programme says. 23 January - Southern African bishops call on Mugabe to step down, saying it would benefit Africa. 22 January - A leading human rights activist tells IRIN that there are signs that the Zimbabwean government is trying to honour commitments it made to its neighbours at a recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Malawi. ZimRights director Bidi Munyaradzi adds that in spite of violence reported at an opposition rally in Bulawayo at the weekend, it seems as though the government is moving to clamp down on violence and keep some of its promises. 21 January - South African President Thabo Mbeki calls on southern African leaders to do all they can to help the people of Zimbabwe to ensure the presidential election is free and fair. 21 January - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo visits Harare and says that a Commonwealth-drafted plan to force Mugabe to end the political turmoil in Zimbabwe was "moving at a slow pace". 18 January - Mbeki says Zimbabweans face "their greatest hour of need" in the run-up to presidential elections and promises not to abandon them as their economic hardships mount. 16 January - Zimbabwe's Justice Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, tells parliament the government may invite some EU countries to observe the elections. 14 January - British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mbeki talk on the telephone about the situation in Zimbabwe, and both agree that its crisis is deepening. 12 January - Mugabe calls Blair a liar and shrugs off mounting international criticism, vowing to continue his land redistribution programme as: "God is on our side". Veteran anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu says Mugabe has gone "bonkers in a big way" for disregarding the rule of law and assuming greater powers. 12 January - The EU gives Zimbabwe one week to declare, in writing, that it will accept international observers and news media during the elections. "At this stage, the EU is not satisfied that its concerns will be met," says a statement issued by the 15-nation bloc after a day of consultations with Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge. 11 January - Foreign ministers from South Africa and Botswana echo international concerns about human rights in neighbouring Zimbabwe but warn that EU sanctions could affect the entire region. 11 January - The South African government condemns as "unacceptable" a warning by Zimbabwe's army that it would not accept an opposition victory. Australia's foreign minister says he will push for Zimbabwe to be suspended from the Commonwealth at the Heads of Government meeting in early March. 10 January - Zimbabwe's ruling party fails to push through a series of repressive bills after a 14-hour, all-night session of parliament, but vows to finish its work. The parliament spends 12 hours in non-stop debate on the Public Order and Security Bill (POSB), which imposes tough curbs on freedoms of assembly. 9 January - Zimbabwe's security chiefs imply in a statement that they will refuse to recognise victory by anyone other than Mugabe. 8 January - Zimbabwe's justice minister says he aims to push through parliament the Access to Information Bill that restricts press freedom making it an offence to report from Zimbabwe unless registered by a state-appointed commission. The media bill, critics say, is aimed at muzzling the independent press ahead of the elections. Chinamasa also tells journalists that the government will pass labour and security bills, which analysts say are intended to boost Mugabe's re-election bid by clamping down on opponents of his ruling ZANU-PF party. 8 January - The British government says it will press for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth if it does not tackle political violence and human rights violations related to Mugabe's land redistribution programme. 3 January - Malawian Foreign Minister Lilian Patel says Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state will not dictate to Zimbabwe how best to resolve the land crisis. Sources: IRIN, Sapa-AP/AFP, Reuters