Zimbabwe - July 2023

On 14 July, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law a piece of legislation that analysts say is likely to have a chilling effect on opposition parties and civil society. The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, or the Patriot Bill as it has become known, criminalises ‘wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe’, for which it imposes draconian penalties, including the death penalty, citizenship revocation and lengthy prison sentences. A person commits the offence if they participate in a meeting where sanctions and military interventions are considered or where plans are made to ‘subvert, upset, overthrow or overtake’ the government. The Zimbabwean government has, in the past, routinely accused its opponents of calling for the imposition of sanctions on the country and the legislation’s overly broad provisions have raised concerns that it will be used to silence critics and may stop them from meeting with foreign governments.   

Sources: The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Centre for Human Rights University of Pretoria, Southern Africa Litigation Centre, The Africa Report, Amnesty International