KEY HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Government’s use of force on citizens:
A premeditated disregard of human rights?
The recent systematic and public attacks on
human
rights
defenders
Zimbabwe,
statement on the 2nd of August gives an
particularly in August ahead of the SADC
insight into the government’s preparedness
Summit, raise grave concerns about the
to use force in quashing the voices of
government's commitment to human rights
dissent.
and the rule of law. Top government officials
ranking members of the police, issued threats
have
of
publicly
in
Honourable Kazembe Kazembe’s televised
denigrated
human
rights
The
violence
minister,
saying
flanked
those
by
who
high-
seek
to
defenders, political figures, and civil society
“provoke a heavy-handed response from the
organisations, creating a hostile environment
government” assuming that it ‘would attract
that
global attention and put Zimbabwe on the
More
emboldens
than
and
citizens
repression.
arrested
spotlight, should know that (the government)
between the period of July and August 2024
is ‘prepared for the same’. His utterances
with most being charged with inciting public
have
violence,
intimidation, undermining peace and stability
trumped
200
violence
disorderly
up
were
conduct
charges
on
or
some
suspicion
of
organising mass protests.
The
subsequent
citizens
across
arrests
country
a
climate
of
fear
and
in the country. Such actions contravene
Zimbabwe's
widespread
the
created
international
human
rights
of
obligations and the principles of the SADC
on
region.
unsubstantiated allegations of inciting public
The
threats,
or
‘warnings’,
were
also
violence are a stark illustration of this
displayed in the widespread operations by
troubling trend. The Minister of Home Affairs,
members of the police force in public places
4