KEY VIOLATIONS
December Human Rights Violations
0
10
20
Unfair distribution of government support
23
18
Threats of violence
16
Restricted access to social services
Restricted freedom of assembly & association
10
Assault
6
Other
6
Restricted freedom of expression
2
Displacement
2
Unjustified arrests
1
MDP
1
Killing
1
ASSAULT ON THE RIGHT TO PERSONAL SECURITY
In incidents documented in December 2025, at least six serious violations of constitutionally protected human
rights in Zimbabwe were breached, with the right to personal security, as enshrined in Section 52 of the
Constitution, being the most prominently violated. In Manicaland Province, Rusape (Makoni South), a female
victim was physically assaulted during a food aid distribution after being denied assistance on the basis of her
perceived support for an opposition political party, violating not only the victim’s right to personal security but
also the rights to equality and freedom from discrimination. In Bindura, Mashonaland Central, a shoe vendor in
Chipadze, was brutally assaulted by police officers resulting in loss of sight. The victim had failed to deliver the
money in a routine extortion scheme in which police demanded nightly payments from vendors to allow them to
operate. The victim was pursued, harassed, and violently beaten by officers, including being struck in the face
with a baton until his eye popped out.
Some of the incidents involved the excessive use of force and indiscriminate attacks on civilians by state
security agents, particularly the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the National Army. In Shurugwi, Midlands
Province, five artisanal miners were assaulted by members of the national army at a site where alleged gold
deposits had been discovered, violating their rights to personal security. In Harare Province, police officers in
Chitungwiza’s St Mary’s suburb assaulted vendors at a shopping centre for selling foodstuffs in public places,
injuring five people and infringing their rights to personal security, dignity, and livelihood. Similarly, in Epworth
Ward 3, riot police indiscriminately beat civilians found in public spaces after 7 p.m., including at shopping
centres, bars, and vending sites. Comparable incidents were also recorded in Silobela Constituency, Midlands
Province, where police assaulted civilians around 10 p.m. and subjected some to degrading treatment by
forcing them to roll on the ground. Such cases illustrate a wide pattern of violations affecting multiple
constitutional rights, including personal security, dignity, equality, freedom from discrimination, and protection
from violence.
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