Amnesty International says the signing of the ‘Patriotic Bill’ into an Act by Zimbabwe president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is a grave attack on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
Mnangagwa has signed into law the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Bill, 2022, commonly referred to as the “Patriotic Bill”.
The Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Act, 2022, contains overly broad provisions as it criminalizes anyone caught “wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe” and those who participate in meetings with the intention of promoting calls for economic sanctions against the country.
The Act was first published as a Bill in the Government Gazette on 23 December 2022. The Bill was passed by the lower house of the National Assembly on 31 May 2023 and sailed through Senate on 7 May 2023. It was signed by the President on 14 July 2023.
Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Deputy Research Director for Southern Africa, said the enactment of the Bill is stronger evidence that the Zimbabwean authorities are bent on further shrinking civic space and silencing dissent.
“We call on President Mnangagwa to reverse his decision and immediately ensure the repeal of the law to demonstrate the commitment of his government to human rights. His government must fully and effectively respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights of everyone to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” said Farisè.
Farisè added that the Act fails to meet the requirements of legality, proportionality, and necessity.
“The penalties provided by the Act include loss of citizenship, denial of the right to vote and the death penalty. Imposing these penalties on people simply for peacefully exercising their human rights is patently unconstitutional and incompatible with Zimbabwe’s international human rights obligations,” said Farisè.
