total of 28 human rights violations which affected a total of 558 victims that were linked to the
2030 agenda. Of these, 220 were women while 328 were men. 72 of these victims are ZANU PF
members while the remainder are not from ZANU PF. These statistics demonstrate the
proliferation of intra-party human rights violations, that is, human rights violations perpetrated
against ZANU PF members by fellow ZANU PF members. Of all the 28 violations linked to the
2030 agenda that ZPP documented, 13 relate to freedom of expression.
Why freedom of expression is under assault
As already demonstrated, human rights violations data shows that the most pervasive of the
human rights violations targeted against real or perceived opponents of the 2030 agenda is
freedom of expression. There is a reason for that. The exercise of the right to freedom of
expression remains an avenue to push back the 2030 agenda. Other avenues for pushing back the
2030 agenda are effectively restricted. For instance, there is an apparent dearth in the exercise of
the right to freedom of assembly and association and the exercise of the right to demonstrate and
petition as provided for in Section 58 and 59 of the Zimbabwean Constitution respectively. This
is because of the existence of repressive legislation such as the Maintenance of Peace and Order
Act [Chapter 11:23] popularly known as ‘MOPA’ which is weaponized to restrict and criminalize
the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly and association in Zimbabwe.
Analysis of HRV data reveals that the regime is descending on anyone who dares speak up (or
even create opportunities for others to speak up such as Blessed Mhlanga) against the 2030
agenda with savage vehemence and alarming alacrity. This is in addition to weaponization of
criminal law to criminalize their work. Opponents of the agenda are subjected to all sorts of
human rights violations which include expulsion from ZANU PF if they are members of ZANU
PF, being hunted down like rats, being subjected to arbitrary arrests, prolonged pre-trial
detentions, just to name a few. The crackdown has a chilling effect on human rights defenders
who are contemplating challenging the 2030 agenda.