WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John Kerry made the following statement on the floor of the Senate today condemning President Robert Mugabe’s terror regime that forced opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to pull out of Zimbabwe’s runoff election: 

Mr. President, we are known as the world’s greatest deliberative body in the world’s greatest democracy. We talk frequently here about our commitment to spreading freedom around the globe. 

But here in Washington, the news earlier this week that Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, was forced to withdraw from the runoff election scheduled tomorrow, was met by an absence of meaningful action. 

It is important that we do condemn — through both words and deeds — a brutal campaign of violence and intimidation launched by President Robert Mugabe and his henchmen which rendered free and fair elections in Zimbabwe impossible. 

Morgan Tsvangirai’s courageous decision not to put his supporters at further risk in an election that Mugabe explicitly said he would not respect if he did not win should be a wake-up call to the world – and especially to the African leaders who have the most influence over Zimbabwe – that action is long overdue. 

For months now, Mugabe’s thugs have savaged opposition politicians, civil society activists, and anyone else who dared to dream of a peaceful end to his reign of terror. Villagers have literally been handed bullets by soldiers and told to choose between democracy or their lives. Since the initial balloting in March, the MDC believes that at least 86 of its supporters have been killed; over 10,000 have been injured; 2,000 unlawfully detained; and 200,000 have fled their homes. The details are more horrifying than these statistics convey: Women burned to death, young men tortured and dismembered, and the elderly savagely beaten.

In fact, it’s hard to imagine a campaign of political murder as brazen and outrageous as the one that’s been unleashed on unarmed innocents. Many dictators at least go through the motions of holding a sham election — not Mugabe — who matter-of-factly stated last week: “We are not going to give up our country because of a mere X [on a ballot]. How can a ball point pen fight with a gun?”

We know that even if Tsvangirai had not withdrawn, Mugabe would have stolen the election by rigging ballots. Once again, this unapologetic dictator telegraphed his intentions, saying that ‘only God’ — not the voters of Zimbabwe — could remove him from office.

Democracy in Zimbabwe is not the only casualty of the news this week. Every bit as damaged is the moral authority of the international community. Make no mistake, Mugabe is again thumbing his nose at the international community because he’s heard the world say ‘never again,’ again and again — and then he’s watched the world engage in collective hand-wringing as mass atrocities unfold and nothing happens, just like the last time.

This cannot continue. Until recently, there was little hope of a vigorous international response. But Tsvangirai’s selfless act of courage must now serve as a catalyst for change.

On Monday, the UN Security Council, including China and Russia, issued its first condemnation of the violence, acknowledging it would be “impossible for a free and fair election to take place.” A day later, some of Africa’s influential leaders called out Mugabe for his savagery — making it more difficult for him to disguise the violence as a struggle against post-colonial bullying — and yesterday demanded that he postpone the run-off elections and negotiate with Tsvangirai. Just yesterday on his 90th birthday, Nelson Mandela lent his voice of moral authority to condemn what he called “the tragic failure of leadership in our neighboring Zimbabwe."

Strong words serve to diminish Mugabe’s legitimacy, but words alone aren’t enough to save Zimbabwe’s people. The international community must take action that sends the regime in Zimbabwe a simple, unequivocal message: Mugabe must go.

The Senate said as much by passing my resolution in late April, but it’s past time for Zimbabwe’s African neighbors to do whatever is necessary to bring about an immediate end to the violence and a peaceful, timely transition to democracy.

It is also time for the world to take action. The UN Security Council must quickly impose targeted sanctions on Mugabe, his cronies, and his family. Freezing bank accounts and imposing further travel restrictions are punishments that may lead those around Mugabe to reassess their own self-interest, without doing harm to a people that have already endured untold hardship.

But make no mistake -- the real leverage and legitimacy to motivate, mediate, and monitor a negotiated solution lies in the heart of Africa. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) has too often been on the sidelines – they must play a sustained and active role in resolving this crisis in a way that respects the will of Zimbabwe’s people. If Mugabe refuses to step down, both SADC and AU should suspend Zimbabwe’s membership and consider applying their own sanctions. The United States and the European Union must stand alongside African governments in withdrawing recognition from the illegitimate Mugabe regime and imposing additional sanctions targeting his criminal cabal.

Until recently, a few African leaders have proven to be an obstacle to resolving Zimbabwe’s crisis. South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki is the most prominent example. Mbeki should heed the warnings of his predecessor and icon, Nelson Mandela. Mbeki will be judged for his response to this crisis. As the leader of the region’s powerhouse and SADC’s mediator in this crisis, Mbeki still has an opportunity to turn up the heat on Mugabe while also helping facilitate a respectable way out. The world can not afford for Mbeki to remain out-of-step with other countries in the region, not to mention his own political party, in condoning Mugabe’s brutality. If he chooses to continue on this ineffectual path, Mbeki will remain complicit in the tragic events in Zimbabwe, and risks isolating himself internationally as well as within his own country.

If Mugabe surrenders power and a genuinely democratic government committed to implementing constitutional, economic and political reforms is formed, Zimbabwe’s new leader will be left to pick up the pieces of an economy run into the ground by Mugabe. Annual inflation is reportedly running over 150,000 percent; unemployment stands at over 80 percent; hunger grips four million people; and an estimated 3,500 people die each week from hunger, disease, and other causes related to grinding poverty. The United States and the international community must be prepared to provide a comprehensive economic and political recovery package that will help the people recover from so many years of abuse and neglect.

Right now, our most urgent challenge is to protect the innocent people in Zimbabwe devastated by violence, starvation, or inadequate access to essential care and services by pushing Africa’s leaders to restore and expand humanitarian aid and deploy a civil protection force to prevent attacks, help victims, and pursue vicious criminals.

Matching words with action is the challenge for the United States, the world, and – particularly – the African nations. This is a test of our collective moral authority – of our willingness to lead with our values – and a test of whether we will send a strong message to the people of Zimbabwe that we support their aspirations for a free and democratic country. They need to know that the free world will again stand with the aspirations of those willing to risk their lives for a better future