Human Rights in Zimbabwe:
Additional Information
Related Resources
Overview
Blog
AI Human Rights Concerns for Zimbabwe 2000-2008
Take Action
Zimbabwe: Power-sharing agreement must not compromise human rights
Zimbabwe: Police fail to protect civilians and human rights defenders in the post-election period
Petition on the crisis in Zimbabwe to the Governments of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa
Zimbabwe: Police and soldiers must stop violently harassing human rights defenders and opposition party supporters
To view a complete list of action opportunities to promote and defend the human rights of the people of Zimbabwe, click here
Public Statements
Africa stand up for Zimbabwe (15 August 2008)
Zimbabwe: Pan-African Campaign of Solidarity for Zimbabwe (4 July 2008)
Open Letter To His Excellency President Levy Mwanawasa, President Of The Republic Of Zambia, In His Capacity As The Chair Of The Southern African Development Community (20 June 2008)
End State-Sponsored Violence in Zimbabwe (17 April 2008)
Statement of Solidarity from the Zimbabwe Inter-Agency Reference Group (Canada) (pdf)
News Releases and Updates
Zimbabwean authorities continue persecution of political activists (29 April 2009)
Last of activists abducted in December released by Zimbabwe's authorities (20 April 2009)
Zimbabwe independence celebrations overshadowed by human rights abuses (17 April 2009)
Zimbabwe: AU and UN should immediately send human rights monitors (16 February 2009)
Zimbabwe activists including Jestina Mukoko bailed (4 March 2009)
Zimbabwe must drop the charges against former Prisoners of Conscience (10 March 2009)
Release all Prisoners of Conscience in Zimbabwe (24 February 2009)
New Zimbabwe government urged to prioritise human rights (10 February 2009)
Amnesty International says failure of African leadership is prolonging the Zimbabwe human rights crisis (14 January 2009)
Zimbabwe - A Population on the Edge of Collapse (24 December 2008)
Zimbabwe urged to end abductions of activists (10 December 2008)
Zimbabwe: Victims of violence can no longer wait for political solution (31 October 2008)
Zimbabwe: Peaceful protestors released (28 October 2008)
Zimbabwe: Agreement should not result in amnesties for human rights violators (12 September 2008)
Zimbabwe: Climate of fear persists despite deal; violence must not be pardoned (24 July 2008)
Zimbabwe: State-sponsored violence and coercion create fundamentally flawed election (27 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International reveals 12 bodies found; victims tortured to death (19 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International accuses government of using food for political gain (6 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Sharp crackdown on political opponents (4 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Violence reaches crisis levels; youths forcibly recruited (15 May 2008)
Zimbabwe: Police raid office of election observers; staff in hiding (25 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: No supply of arms until state sponsored violence ceases (23 April 2008)
Post-election violence increases in Zimbabwe (18 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International calls for an immediate end to political violence; says attacks appear to be coordinated (10 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: Police Urged to Remain Non-Partisan (3 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: Harassment and intimidation as election looms (26 March 2008)
Zimbabwean Police Arrest and Assault Opposition Demonstrators (24 January 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International calls for police restraint in the face of impending protests (23 January 2008)
Zimbabwe: Women at the forefront of challenging government policy face increasing repression (25 July 2007)
Human rights issues must be at the centre of any dialogue between the government of Zimbabwe and the Movement for Democratic Change (28 June 2007)
Zimbabwe: Repression of political opponents continues, with new incidents of police brutality (10 May 2007)
Zimbabwe: Calls for investigation into killing of activist and release of peaceful protestors (12 March 2007)
Zimbabwe: End harassment, torture and intimidation of opposition activists (28 March 2007)
Zimbabwe: Human rights and civic groups call for African leadership to address human rights and humanitarian crisis: Amnesty International, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Joint Press Release (16 November 2005)
Zimbabwe: Victims of violence can no longer wait for political solution (31 October 2008)
Zimbabwe: Peaceful protestors released (28 October 2008)
Zimbabwe: Agreement should not result in amnesties for human rights violators (12 September 2008)
Zimbabwe: Climate of fear persists despite deal; violence must not be pardoned (24 July 2008)
Zimbabwe: State-sponsored violence and coercion create fundamentally flawed election (27 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International reveals 12 bodies found; victims tortured to death (19 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International accuses government of using food for political gain (6 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Sharp crackdown on political opponents (4 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Violence reaches crisis levels; youths forcibly recruited (15 May 2008)
Zimbabwe: Police raid office of election observers; staff in hiding (25 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: No supply of arms until state sponsored violence ceases (23 April 2008)
Post-election violence increases in Zimbabwe (18 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International calls for an immediate end to political violence; says attacks appear to be coordinated (10 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: Police Urged to Remain Non-Partisan (3 April 2008)
Zimbabwe: Harassment and intimidation as election looms (26 March 2008)
Zimbabwean Police Arrest and Assault Opposition Demonstrators (24 January 2008)
Zimbabwe: Amnesty International calls for police restraint in the face of impending protests (23 January 2008)
Zimbabwe: Women at the forefront of challenging government policy face increasing repression (25 July 2007)
Human rights issues must be at the centre of any dialogue between the government of Zimbabwe and the Movement for Democratic Change (28 June 2007)
Zimbabwe: Repression of political opponents continues, with new incidents of police brutality (10 May 2007)
Zimbabwe: Calls for investigation into killing of activist and release of peaceful protestors (12 March 2007)
Zimbabwe: End harassment, torture and intimidation of opposition activists (28 March 2007)
Zimbabwe: Human rights and civic groups call for African leadership to address human rights and humanitarian crisis: Amnesty International, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Joint Press Release (16 November 2005)
Multimedia
Video documentary on Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean Woman Activists tell their story
AI's March to the Zimbabwe Embassy on 17 April 2007 (slideshow)
Zimbabwe: Silencing the Messenger - The Human Cost of Zimbabwe's Repressive Media Laws (audio)
Reports
Zimbabwe: A Five-Point Human Rights Agenda for the Inclusive Government (10 February 2009)
Zimbabwe - Time for Accountability (31 October 2008)
Zimbabwe - A trail of violence after the ballot (5 June 2008)
Zimbabwe: Between a rock and a hard place – women human rights defenders at risk (25 July 2007)
Zimbabwe: No justice for the victims of forced evictions (8 December 2006)
Zimbabwe: Quantifying destruction - satellite images of forced evictions (8 September 2006)
Zimbabwe: Shattered lives - the case of Porta Farm (31 March 2006)
Zimbabwe: Human rights defenders under siege (10 May 2005 )
Zimbabwe: An assessment of human rights violations in the run-up to the March 2005 parliamentary elections (15 March 2005)
Zimbabwe: Power and hunger - violations of the right to (15 October 2004)
Zimbabwe Under Siege: A Canadian Civil Society Perspective (9 September 2004)
Zimbabwe: Rights Under Siege (2 May 2003)
Zimbabwe: The Toll of Impunity (2 June 2002)
Contact Us
If you would like to get more involved with Amnesty International Canada's work on Zimbabwe, contact info@amnesty.ca
Human Rights in Zimbabwe: Overview
Zimbabwean voters wait to cast their votes outside a polling station in Harare on 29 March 2008. © Private
For nearly a decade, the government of Zimbabwe has pursued a campaign of repression aimed at eliminating opposition and silencing dissent. Amnesty International has documented state-sponsored intimidation, arbitrary arrest, torture, killings and attacks on supporters of the political opposition, human rights defenders and the independent media. Police and other security forces have targeted members of the political opposition, lawyers, journalists and civil society groups, including the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA).
Over the years, as part of its clampdown on dissent, the government has introduced legislation to severely restrict the rights of the majority of Zimbabweans to freely associate, assemble and express themselves. These laws have been used to silence public debate and to shield the government from domestic and international scrutiny. Human rights violations have taken place in a situation of severe economic decline and acute food shortages, including cases in which the government has manipulated the response to the food crisis for its own political gain and retribution.
In mid-2005, the Government of Zimbabwe orchestrated the forced eviction of hundreds of thousands of people living in informal settlements across the country through "Operation Murambatsvina." Police and other security forces used excessive force, and there have been no adequate reparations to the some 700,000 victims who lost their homes, their livelihoods, or both. The government has repeatedly hindered UN efforts to provide emergency shelter, and some of the most vulnerable people have faced repeated forced evictions.
* More background information can be found at Amnesty International Human Rights Concerns in Zimbabwe 2000-2008 and through the links in the right side bar.
2008 Elections
On 29 March 2008, Zimbabweans voted for members of the parliament, local councilors and a president. Official results confirmed a parliamentary majority for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition party. For the presidency, the Electoral Act states that if none of the presidential candidates gets more than 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off has to be held between the two candidates with the most votes within 21 days. The official announcement of the presidential vote results was delayed for more than a month. During this time, post-election violence has been widespread and supporters of the MDC and their families have been targeted. Victims report receiving death threats unless they vote "correctly" in a second round of voting. Perpetrators of the violence include so-called "war veterans" and supporters of the ruling party, as well as youth militia, police officers and soldiers.
On April 25, police raided the offices of the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) and of the MDC in Harare. About 375 people were reportedly arrested. Among them were people who had taken refugee at the MDC's offices after having fled the on-going violence being perpetrated by ZANU-PF supporters and soldiers.
Power-Sharing Agreement and Post-Election Human Rights Situation
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe signed a power-sharing agreement with the Movement for Democratic Change’s leaders on Monday, 15 September 2008 in an attempt to resolve the political crisis that has been developing since 2000 and escalated sharply in the last six months.
The crisis has been characterised by a series of politically-motivated violations of civil, political, social and economic rights against real and perceived opponents of President Mugabe. Those who instigated or committed these violations have enjoyed almost total impunity.
In the run-up to the 27 June presidential election run-off, the country saw a wave of state-sponsored human rights violations that left at least 165 people killed, thousands tortured and nearly 30,000 people internally displaced. How Zimbabwe’s unity government will tackle important questions of justice and impunity remains unclear.
Amnesty International has said that the validity of the deal would be seriously compromised if it includes amnesties or pardons that prevent human rights violators being brought to justice, the emergence of the truth, and full reparations to victims.
Here's how you can take action to support human rights in Zimbabwe:
- Take action: Your letters and e-mails can make a difference. Click on the link in the right side bar under Take Action to find opportunities.*
- Sign up to Amnesty International's Zimbabwe Blog to receive an email when new postings, including news and actions, are available.*
- Join Amnesty International's Zimbabwe listserve and receive regular news and updates. Contact info@amnesty.ca
* Links to these opportunities can be found in the right side bar
Updated: 13 May 2009
