Sanctions advocates to lose passports

The Zimbabwean government will withdraw passports from people who are campaigning for economic sanctions to be imposed upon the country, the official 'The Herald' newspaper reported on Friday. The report said that the move came in the wake of a revival of an international campaign to press for the removal of the current government through economic sanctions, an embargo on fuel imports and a worldwide petition against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

In an interview with the newspaper on Thursday, Minister of State for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo said the government could no longer allow someone to hold the passport of a nation they wished to destroy. "Anyone who is lobbying for sanctions will lose their passports. It is quite clear that these people do not deserve the privilege of using the Zimbabwean passport. What they are doing is like biting the hand that feeds them, and that is why the passport should be withdrawn," Moyo said. "A passport is a privilege and not a right. If you are breaking the law then we will take action," he added.

The minister was responding to reports of a fresh campaign for the imposition of economic sanctions against Zimbabwe by some opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) politicians. Early this week MDC secretary for legal affairs Tendai Biti called on the South African government to use its economic muscle to force Mugabe's government to respect the rule of law.