US releases a scathing assessment of Zimbabwe

Published: 37 mins ago

The United States Department of State has issued a scathing assessment of Zimbabwe's human rights situation, citing persistent abuses and the government's failure to hold perpetrators accountable. The report, covering the year 2024, underscores how journalists, opposition politicians, civil society leaders, and ordinary citizens continue to face intimidation and harassment at the hands of state institutions.

According to the report, Zimbabwe made no meaningful progress in addressing long-standing rights violations. It highlights credible evidence of torture, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on freedom of expression, particularly through violence and censorship directed at journalists. Authorities were accused of showing intolerance to criticism of government officials, the presidency, and the ruling Zanu-PF party.

"There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Zimbabwe during the year," the report noted. "The government did not take credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses."

While extrajudicial killings were absent in 2024, the report attributes this to the fact that it was not an election year, unlike 2023, when widespread violence accompanied the polls. Nonetheless, freedom of expression was heavily constrained, with the July 2023 amendment to the criminal code—criminalising what the state deems injurious to Zimbabwe's sovereignty—continuing to cast a chilling effect on free speech at home and abroad.

The State Department pointed to the government's crackdown on dissent ahead of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Harare on August 17, 2024, as evidence of systematic repression. In June, police violently broke up a private opposition meeting, arresting 80 activists. Journalist Blessed Mhlanga's pretrial detention was cited as another example of state harassment of the press.

Civil servants were not spared, with poor working conditions and failed dialogue efforts leading to arrests of members of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union (ARTUZ) and leaders of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU).

The report also raised concerns about child labor and trafficking in persons, highlighting "significant restrictions on workers' freedom of association" and the continued presence of exploitative labor practices.

Zimbabwe's tainted rights record remains a key obstacle to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's re-engagement efforts with Western nations. Mnangagwa's past association with late President Robert Mugabe and his role in the Gukurahundi massacres, in which more than 20,000 Ndebele-speaking people were killed in the 1980s, continue to undermine his credibility on the international stage.

The findings, the report concludes, reflect a persistent culture of impunity, where rights abuses go unchecked, further entrenching Zimbabwe's isolation from global partners.
- NewZimbabwe

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