10 STEPS BACKWARDS
Silencing Dissent: A Sharp Backslide for Freedom of Expression in Zimbabwe
In October, Zimbabwe witnessed a troubling regression in political rights and civic freedoms, marked by a
pattern of politically motivated violence and suppression of dissent. On October 30, a seminar room at the
SAPES Trust in Harare, set to host a press conference by opposition parties leaders and human rights
defenders opposing the 2030 agenda to extend President Mnangagwa’s term, was petrol-bombed in the early
hours, destroying property and silencing the planned event. When organisers attempted to address journalists
outside on the following day, police swiftly dispersed them, reinforcing the message of intimidation.
A similar press conference in Bulawayo titled “Constitutional Crossroads: Citizens Respond to Zimbabwe’s
Constitutional Crisis” was forcibly aborted after more than a dozen plain-clothed state security agents
surrounded the Bulawayo Club, ordered the withdrawal of venue permission, and blocked journalists and
participants. Riot police sealed off the area as ruling party activists aided in denying access to speakers,
including political and civic leaders.
The cycle of repression deepened with targeted arson attacks, one on SAPES Trust and another on the home
of Constitutional Defence Forum member Gilbert Bgwende in Highfield. In Mt Darwin South, a lodge linked to a
relative of former ZANU PF leader and 2023 presidential aspirant Saviour Kasukuwere was set ablaze after
allegations of a political meeting. The incident was followed by female victim being forcibly disappeared and
later found dumped with signs of torture after attackers searching for her politically active husband. These
incidents reveal an alarming and deliberate campaign to silence dissent, shrinking the democratic space and
eroding fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and assembly among other human rights breaches.
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