Human Rights Watch is calling for a boycott of diamonds from Zimbabwe until Kimberley Process members agree that the country's diamond production conforms to human rights standards, Bloomberg reports.



HRW activist Tiseke Kasambala told Bloomberg that it was a "terrible decision" to allow the export of Marange diamonds while abuses continued.



Moreover, Kasambala said, even if Marange diamonds were KP certified HRW would urge consumers not to buy them.



While Zimbabwe's government insists that it has more than complied with KP standards and insists that it has a right to sell its diamonds, including stones mined in the Marange region, diamond industry activists and NGO representatives say that human rights violations persist.



The watchdogs allege that in addition to abuse by the security forces patrolling the diamond fields – who reportedly hold complete control over who has access to the area – villagers in Chiadzwa are being relocated to make room for diamond mining operations without receiving proper compensation.