• Human Rights in Zimbabwe

    More than four years after Zimbabwe’s 2008 presidential election, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party have yet to implement key reforms envisioned under their power-sharing agreement. Neither the ZANU-PF-controlled security forces nor others responsible for torture and killings during the 2008 election have been brought to justice. This, combined with the lack of progress on institutional and legal reforms, means that many Zimbabweans fear a renewed cycle of violence in 2013, when elections are due to take place.

  • Residents of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, line up to cast their vote in the country’s presidential election on June 27, 2008.
    © 2008 AP Images
    Zimbabwe: Rights Reforms Needed Before Elections
    Zimbabwe’s “unity government” is failing to carry out reforms in the country’s Global Political Agreement that are vital for the country to hold credible, free, and fair elections in 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
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Reports

  • Race Against Time
    The Need for Legal and Institutional Reforms Ahead of Zimbabwe’s Elections
  • Perpetual Fear
    Impunity and Cycles of Violence in Zimbabwe
  • Deliberate Chaos
    Ongoing Human Rights Abuses in the Marange Diamond Fields of Zimbabwe
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Zimbabwe

  • Zimbabwe: End Police Crackdown on Civil Society
    Mar 19, 2013
    The government of Zimbabwe should immediately end the police crackdown on civil society groups, which has intensified as the country prepares for national elections.
  • Zimbabwe: No Hasty EU Retreat on Sanctions
    Feb 6, 2013
    The European Union (EU) should require tangible human rights reforms and free and fair elections before lifting targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe. The EU is expected to review its policy toward Zimbabwe in the coming two weeks.
  • Fear Looms Large as Zimbabwe Elections Near
    Jan 29, 2013
  • Letter to the Chairperson of the African Union
    Jan 21, 2013
  • AU Summit: Rights Key for Addressing Crises
    Jan 21, 2013
    The African Union (AU) should make human rights central to its discussions about crises situations in Africa at its summit meeting this week in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to the AU chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The Ordinary Summit begins on January 21, 2013, and AU heads of state are due to meet on January 27 and 28 in Addis Ababa.
  • Zimbabwe: Rights Reforms Needed Before Elections
    Jan 10, 2013
    Zimbabwe’s “unity government” is failing to carry out reforms in the country’s Global Political Agreement that are vital for the country to hold credible, free, and fair elections in 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
  • Zimbabwe: Police Raid Threatens Broader Crackdown
    Nov 9, 2012
    The Zimbabwe government’s raid on a civil society group raises fears of a broader crackdown on perceived opposition activists ahead of elections due in 2013.
  • Zimbabwe: End Attacks on LGBT People
    Aug 27, 2012
    The Zimbabwean government should immediately stop persecuting members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe.
  • Zimbabwe: Letter to President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai
    Aug 27, 2012
    On August 20, 2012, police officers entered and occupied the offices of GALZ in Harare for six hours producing a warrant only after the GALZ lawyers demanded it. They confiscated documents, advocacy materials and computers. GALZ advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Zimbabwe.
  • SADC: Press Angola, Zimbabwe on Rights as Elections Near
    Aug 14, 2012
    Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting this week should press the governments of Angola and Zimbabwe to improve human rights conditions in advance of upcoming national elections. SADC’s annual heads of state summit is scheduled for August 17 and 18, 2012, in Maputo, Mozambique.
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