The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) says it has recorded an increasing desire by those in power to entrench themselves using state institutions to suppress citizen’s rights as outlined in the country’s constitution.
In a monthly report for November 2021, the human rights pressure group said the enactment of the recently gazetted Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill was an assault on the population.
“The means include – at the highest and lowest levels – the use of state security agents to suppress dissent, interference in the affairs of the judiciary, weaponization of the law, politicization of aid, state-party conflation, and enactment of Draconian laws like the recently gazetted Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill. It is an all-out assault on the right of citizens to enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed entitlements,” said ZPP
The report says actions by law enforcement agents were pointing to the protection of a few in the positions of power.
“To show this trend, in November 2020, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Zanu PF, the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), war veterans, and municipal police, contributed a combined 63.26 percent of all human rights violations. This November, the ZRP, ZNA, Zanu PF, war veterans and other state agents contribute to a staggering nearly 86 percent of all violations and this is a cause for concern considering that the police and the army have a mandate to protect, and not violate citizens.
“It points to the presence of a police state, where the law and law enforcement agents are used to protect the interests of the few in positions of authority. For the third month Zanu PF leads the list, having contributed to about 54 percent of all the violations and the ZRP follows at 26 percent. Zanu PF, being the ruling party, wields influence in government institutions, including those responsible for state security.
“So, by having the ruling party and the police leading the list of human rights violators, it is apparent the human rights situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated to levels where citizens are on their own. The main opposition MDC Alliance contributed to just below four percent of all violations and one case of intra party violence against Zanu PF’s 10 cases,” noted the report
ZPP said it is a worrying trend as Zimbabwe draws towards elections and history has shown that women tend to be on the receiving end of political violence and it appears when it comes to its human rights situation, Zimbabwe is in a much worse situation than ever before.
