Human Rights Abuses in Zimbabwe

17^th January 2024

By Ronald Mutumbi

Human rights abuses in Zimbabwe are a serious and ongoing problem that affects the lives and dignity of millions of people. According to various sources, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ZimRights and ROHR Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean government has been responsible for numerous violations of civil and political rights.

The State-sponsored human rights violations include murder, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, harassment, persecution and prosecution of opposition politicians, journalists, political and human rights activists, human rights defenders and critics of the ruling party of all kinds.

These are carried out by uniformed forces and unidentified assailants, suspected to be state security agents with impunity.

Peaceful protests are met with excessive, disproportionate, and lethal force, including the use of tear gas, batons, and live ammunition, resulting in injuries and deaths.

Restrictions on various human rights including rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly are imposed through the enactment and selective application of repressive laws, such as the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill (Commonly referred to as “The Patriotic Act), the Private Voluntary Organisations Act (PVO), the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Cyber and Data Protection Act of 2021  which collectively aim to shrink the democratic space and control the activities of nongovernmental organisations and individuals.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, also face criminalisation, harassment, and violence because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

The recent outbreak of cholera countrywide, just like the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, has exposed the government’s failure to provide adequate health care, food, water, and sanitation to the population, especially the most vulnerable groups.

The pandemic was used as an excuse to impose lockdown measures that limited the people’s access to information, education, and livelihoods, to crack down on any criticism or protest as well as for corrupt activities by the political elite and their cronies with the “Drax scandal” being a case in point.

The human rights situation in Zimbabwe is alarming and requires urgent attention and action from the international community, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community, as well as from the Zimbabwean authorities themselves. The government should respect and protect the human rights of all its citizens and ensure that those who commit or order human rights violations are held accountable and brought to justice. The government should also engage in dialogue and cooperation with civil society, the opposition, and the media and implement the necessary reforms to restore democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity in the country.

About the author
Ronald Mutumbi is a Zimbabwean human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. He is the Organising Secretary for the North Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe, a not-for-profit organisation registered in 2007. Among other things, ROHR Zimbabwe aims to promote a culture of human rights through community mobilisation, capacity building, and active responses to human rights violations. It also advocates for peace, justice, freedom, accountability, and democratic reforms in the country. Ronald can be contacted by email at ronald.mutumbi@rohr-zimbabwe.org or  ronmutumbi@gmail.com