EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The month of March 2025 was marked by an intensifying climate of fear, repression, and systematic
human rights violations across Zimbabwe. As the controversial push to extend President Mnangagwa’s
term beyond the constitutional limit of 2028 persisted, the country experienced a sharp increase in
politically motivated intimidation, state-sponsored coercion, and repression of fundamental freedoms.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) documented 128 human rights violations impacting 2,349 individuals.
Violations included threats of violence, intimidation and harassment, assault, arbitrary arrests, torture,
inhuman and degrading treatment, unlawful evictions, suppression of key civil liberties such as freedom of
expression, association, the right to peaceful protest and a case of abduction. Informal traders and
journalists were also directly targeted, often facing physical attacks and obstruction in their pursuit of
gainful economic activities, threatening their livelihoods and further shrinking the civic space.
A total of 1,265 women, including 95 women with disabilities, and 1,084 men, including 79 men with
disabilities, were affected. These figures underscore the disproportionate impact of state repression on
vulnerable groups, particularly women and persons with disabilities, whose access to justice and safety
remains severely compromised.
Perpetrators of these violations were overwhelmingly linked to state and local governance institutions.
Members of Zimbabwe Republic Police accounted for 35.8% of the violations, followed by the ZANU PF
at 26.2%. Local council officials were responsible for 20.5%, while members of opposition parties,
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) at 4.6% and MDC-Alliance at 1.3% also contributed to a share of
the abuses. Government and state officials (3%), traditional leaders (2.6%), and unaffiliated citizens (6%)
were also implicated.
These figures portray a gloomy picture of the Zimbabwean human rights situation and raise concerns
about the erosion of the rule of law, where perpetrators of human rights violations enjoy impunity for
suppressing dissent, stifling free speech, restricting freedom of assembly and association, among other
human rights violations. The targeting of civilians, journalists, and opposition members points to an
entrenched culture of political intolerance, which not only stifles democratic participation but also
threatens sustainable peace.
Despite this grim landscape, there were glimmers of hope. The intervention by Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights, and a consequential High Court ruling, compelled the Ministry of Home Affairs and prison
authorities to immediately address the degrading conditions at Mutare Central Police Station and
Remand Prison. This is a timely ruling which will go a long way in improving the conditions of Zimbabwean
detention centres and ensure that Zimbabweans in conflict with penal law are treated according to
norms and standards of international human rights law.
The ongoing Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Zimbabwe at the United Nations Human Rights Council
also presents an opportunity for the country to address its deteriorating human rights record. However,
genuine reform will only be realised through political will, respect for constitutionalism, and an end to
state-sponsored repression.
ZPP calls for urgent national dialogue among human rights actors and structural reforms to restore
respect for human rights, uphold constitutional protections, and ensure inclusive, peaceful participation in
public life. Without this, Zimbabwe risks descending into authoritarianism, with devastating consequences
for its people and prospects for peace.
3