HARARE – Zimbabwe’s overall human rights record remains poor despite a recent rare commendation by Amnesty International.
In its latest annual report, the Human Rights Watchdog praised the Zimbabwean government for enacting the Children’s Amendment Act of 2023, which criminalizes marriages of people under the age of 18.
However, the same report harshly criticized Zimbabwe in other aspects of human rights violations.
Repression of dissent, severe restrictions in freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, abductions, torture and in some cases killings of activists were some of the issues brought to the fore by the report.
On a global scale, the report also paints a dismal picture of human rights repression and international rule-breaking worldwide, all in the midst of deepening global inequality and an escalating climate crisis.
The report further warned that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide — and the disinformation that AI helps spread — could lead to further breakdowns in the international rule of law.
