Zimbabwe - September 2023

Following Zimbabwe’s election on 23 August, media and human rights organisations reported a rise in political violence as government forces cracked down on opposition politicians, supporters and human rights defenders. Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum (ZHRF), a Human Rights NGO, documented 316 incidents of organised violence and torture between 24 August and 30 September 2023 (an increase on the 274 incidents it recorded during the volatile post-electoral period in 2018). The types of violence documented by the ZHRF include arbitrary arrest, torture, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. Reports indicate that the victims were predominantly members or supporters of the main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), and that they were targeted because of their association with the CCC. The perpetrators are thought to have been members of state security agencies and supporters of the ruling party, Zanu-PF.   

Sources: Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum, The East African, Africa Confidential, The Guardian