Human Rights Violations in Zimbabwe Nearly Tripled in March, Monitoring Group Reports

Zimbabwe Peace Project documented 291 violations affecting over 5,000 people amid tensions over constitutional amendment hearings.

Human rights violations in Zimbabwe increased sharply in March, with a monitoring organisation recording 291 cases compared to 104 in February, affecting 5,013 people across the country, according to a report by the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP).¹²

The organisation said 2,863 of those affected were women and girls, while 2,150 were men and boys.¹ ZPP attributed the increase to what it called a "politically tense environment" surrounding parliamentary public hearings on the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3, held between 30 March and 2 April.¹²

During the four-day hearings, ZPP documented 121 violations affecting 1,985 people, including 714 males, 1,271 females, and 10 persons with disabilities.² The remaining violations occurred before and after the consultations.²

The report said abuses included assaults, abductions, intimidation, harassment, and restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association, and expression.¹ ZPP said individuals and groups who mobilised, attended, or expressed opposition to the bill were targeted, creating what it described as "an environment of fear, coercion and punitive control".¹

According to the report, perpetrators were predominantly linked to ruling party structures, with ZANU PF affiliates accounting for 49.71 percent of recorded violations.¹² The Zimbabwe Republic Police accounted for 13.08 percent of violations, while suspected state security agents made up 11.34 percent.¹

ZPP said the hearings, rather than providing a platform for democratic participation, were characterised by systematic rights abuses.²