EU Chides Zimbabwe Over Repression, Corruption & Suffocation Of Democracy

The European Union (EU) has expressed concern over what it considers to be Zimbabwe’s lack of appetite to undertake political and economic reforms.

In the chapter on Zimbabwe in its 2019 Annual Report on Human Rights And Democracy in the World, the EU said:

A year and a half after the 2018 elections, the government has shown little appetite to undertake political and economic reforms.

Moreover, the authorities’ recourse to security forces repression and the subsequent shrinking of democratic space and rampant corruption and mismanagement led to a serious deterioration of all socio-economic and humanitarian indicators.

Since January 2019, there has been a sharp increase in reported human rights violations. Beyond a series of intimidations against opposition supporters and activists, the year was marked by violent episodes of police brutalities (in January, August and November).

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The recommendations issued in the Motlanthe report of the Commission of inquiry to investigate the violence against civilians in the post-election period, which resulted in the death of six people in August 2018, are still to be effectively addressed by the authorities.

Progress is also very slow in addressing the recommendations of the EU Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) and of the other election observation missions that were deployed in the country before the 2018 elections.

The human rights situation is further worsened by the ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis that resulted in a massive decrease of access to basic services for the population and is further worsening the situation of the most vulnerable communities.

More: European Union