Zimbabwe

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to education in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Public schools are inadequately resourced, and private schools are unaffordable for many people
• Parents are often unable to afford fees, schools are far away for children, and government teachers are underpaid
• Political detainees, homeless people, stateless people, and people with low economic status, due to high education fees, especially for secondary school and higher education
• Students in unions that are not aligned with the ruling government
• Student activists can be expelled without due process for speaking out against university authorities
• People living in Matabeleland
• People living in rural areas, particularly children who lack access to necessary resources and supplies such as computers
• Children from families with low social or economic status, particularly in the Chimanimani area
• People with disabilities, due to a lack of accommodations to access schools, particularly in rural communities
• Indigenous peoples, such as the San community in Tsholotsho
• Girls from the Apostolic Church of John Marange, who are forced into child marriage and drop out of school

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to food in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to the high cost of living and rising inflation
• Food distribution during natural disasters is partisan and favours affiliates of the ruling party, rather than being based on need
• Members of opposition political parties, suspected members, and families of members are denied government food distribution in rural areas
• Members of opposition parties were denied food distribution during the El Niño drought
• Political detainees must rely on what their families bring them
• People in Harare
• People affected by climate-related disasters, such as floods or droughts, especially in remote areas, particularly Chimanimani, Chilonga, and Binga
• Rural communities that depend on agriculture, particularly Ntalale and Halisupi in the Matabeleland South province, have less access to food due to droughts and climate change
• Most people lacked access to food during the El Niño drought, particularly people in dry southern regions
• People with low social or economic status, particularly people who are homeless, street children, stateless people, and internally displaced people, cannot buy food regularly
• People with disabilities, including children, are unable to travel to food distribution locations
• Members of minority Indigenous groups
• Women and girls lack economic independence
• Young people, particularly orphans
• Older people, due to a lack of welfare

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to health in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to lack of adequate medical supplies and poor conditions in public hospitals
• Detainees, especially political detainees, lack access to adequate health services in prisons
• People in rural areas, particularly Chiredzi, Binga, Mbire, Makwe, Mashaba, and Nyamapanda, due to hospital facilities often being underfunded and under-resourced
• People living in Matabeleland
• Pregnant women, due to high maternal mortality rates in public hospitals
• People with illnesses such as cancer
• Women and girls are unable to access contraceptives and sexual and reproductive health resources
• Men and boys, due to societal norms about mental health and high suicide rates
• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are discriminated against in most healthcare facilities

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to housing in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to high rental costs and difficulty owning property
• Political opponents
• People living in cities like Harare, due to unlawful demolition of housing leaving thousands of people homeless
• People displaced due to climate disasters like floods are not given alternative housing options or funding to relocate
• People living in rural areas, particularly those affected by natural disasters
• People who are displaced by mining companies, particularly in Mutoko, Buhera, and Hurungwe
• People who are homeless, due to laws such as the Vagrancy Act being used to arrest them
• People with low social or economic status, and unemployed people, due to financial inability to rent or buy housing

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to arbitrary or political arrest and detention by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Anyone who is critical of the ruling government
• Political activists and opposition members, especially those who are critical of the government, regularly face charges of inciting public violence
• Political activists are arrested or removed from their homes while participating in election campaigns, particularly in Mashonaland Central and East Provinces
• Political opposition leader, Jameson Timba, was arrested and detained for five months, alongside 34 activists, for meeting at a private residence
• Political candidates and members of the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) are subjected to unlawful detainment, prolonged trials, and denied bail
• Civil society activists and pro-democracy advocates, especially when engaging in peaceful protests and demonstrations
• There are reports of student activists peacefully gathering and being subjected to severe beatings and arrest before the August 2024 Southern African Development Community summit
• Journalists, particularly independent journalists, regularly face charges of inciting public violence
• Leaders of labour unions, especially trade unions, and teacher associations
• Members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), which is aligned with the opposition movement
• Members of the Amalgamated Rural Teacher's Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ)
• Lawyers representing activists face arrest and ill-treatment
• Rural communities living on land targeted for takeover by Zimbabwean and Chinese companies
• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are targeted by the Criminal Code
• People who are homeless, due to laws such as the Vagrancy Act being used to arrest them, especially those in Harare

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to disappearance by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• People with opposing political views to the ruling government
• Members of the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)
• Members of parliament, especially members of the CCC who contested the recall of their positions
• Pro-democracy campaigners
• People protesting peacefully
• Human rights defenders who are critical of the government
• Advocacy leaders, particularly leaders from the WeLead Trust, a youth leadership development and advocacy organisation
• There are reports of human rights activists being tortured, such as Namatai Kwekweza, Robson Chere, and Samuel Gwenz, who were detained incommunicado for eight hours
• Political activists for speaking out against the ruling party
• Journalists

Expert respondents did not provide any specific information about who is especially vulnerable to violations of this right.

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to extrajudicial killing by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Members of opposition political parties and political activists
• Pro-democracy activists
• Journalists, especially those publishing articles about government corruption, and dictatorship
• Leaders of Labour unions
• Political detainees

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to assembly and association by the government or its agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Everyone, due to the government-imposed restrictions on assembly ahead of the Southern African Development Community Summit of August 2024
• All opposition political parties and members are restricted from gathering or attending political campaigns, particularly during the by-election period
• Members and leaders of the opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)
• Political opposition leader, Jameson Timba, was arrested and detained for five months, alongside 34 activists, for meeting at a private residence
• Pro-democracy activists
• Civil society leaders, activists, and members of non-governmental organisations
• Laws such as the Private Voluntary Organisations Bill threaten the continued existence and operations of civil society organisations, especially those that are fighting political repression
• People engaging in non-violent protests and demonstrations demanding the release of unlawfully detained people
• Journalists for independent or private media
• Student union leaders

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to opinion and expression by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to the ‘Patriotic Act’ that criminalises speaking out against the government, resulting in widespread self-censorship
• People dissenting online
• People with differing political opinions from the ruling party
• Political candidates and members of the opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) are subjected to unlawful detainment, prolonged trials, and denied bail
• Civil society activists, especially pro-democracy activists
• Human rights defenders for speaking out on international platforms
• Civil society leaders from the WeLead Trust, a youth leadership development and advocacy organisation
• Journalists from private and independent media, particularly those critical of the ruling party
• Media groups, particularly Alpha Medi, Community Voices Zimbabwe in Gokwe, ZimEye, and Heart and Soul Zim
• Members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
• Members of the Amalgamated Rural Teacher's Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) are detained for speaking out against lowered standards of living for teachers, particularly rural teachers
• Lawyers
• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are targeted by the Criminal Code

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their political participation by the government or its agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Anyone who opposes the government is arrested and detained, particularly leaders of civil society organisations, journalists, and human rights activists
• Opposition political party supporters, especially those with differing political views from the ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)
• Political leaders and members of the political party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)
• Political candidates from the CCC party were banned from presenting in elections by the High Court
• Female politicians
• Pro-democracy activists
• Leaders, and members of civil society organisations
• Journalists from independent or private media
• Student activists, particularly the members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), and their president Emmanuel Sitima who were detained and fined for alleged disorderly conduct
• Zimbabwean people living abroad are restricted from voting