Violations included threats of violence, intimidation and harassment, assault, arbitrary arrests, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, unlawful evictions, suppression of key civil liberties such as freedom of expression, association, the right to peaceful protest and a case of abduction. Informal traders and journalists were also directly targeted, often facing physical attacks and obstruction in their pursuit of
gainful economic activities, threatening their livelihoods and further shrinking the civic space. A total of 1,265 women, including 95 women with disabilities, and 1,084 men, including 79 men with disabilities, were affected. These figures underscore the disproportionate impact of state repression on vulnerable groups, particularly women and persons with disabilities, whose access to justice and safety
remains severely compromised.
Perpetrators of these violations were overwhelmingly linked to state and local governance institutions. Members of Zimbabwe Republic Police accounted for 35.8% of the violations, followed by the ZANU PF
at 26.2%. Local council officials were responsible for 20.5%, while members of opposition parties, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) at 4.6% and MDC-Alliance at 1.3% also contributed to a share of
the abuses. Government and state officials (3%), traditional leaders (2.6%), and unaffiliated citizens (6%) were also implicated.
These figures portray a gloomy picture of the Zimbabwean human rights situation and raise concerns about the erosion of the rule of law, where perpetrators of human rights violations enjoy impunity for
suppressing dissent, stifling free speech, restricting freedom of assembly and association, among other human rights violations. The targeting of civilians, journalists, and opposition members points to an
entrenched culture of political intolerance, which not only stifles democratic participation but also threatens sustainable peace.