The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), a human rights watchdog, reports that more than 1,000 people have experienced violations of the rights to assembly and association freedom following the protest against Emerson Mnangagwa on March 31.
The protest was sparked by Blessed Geza, a former member of the Zanu-PF Central Committee and a war veteran. Currently, GEZA is using his X-page and YouTube channel to mobilize Zimbabweans to protest Mnangagwa.
Geza blames many issues in the issue of Mnangagwa corruption, nepotism, tribalism and demanding his immediate resignation. War veterans are opposed to the extension of Mnangawa’s term of office beyond 2028, when the constitution mandated two five-year terms.
More than 100 people participated in the March 31 protest as a direct result of Geza’s call for action. Police responded with force at Freedom Square in Harare. Despite initial attempts to disperse them, protesters were repeatedly reorganized.
At one point, protesters barricaded the intersection of the capital’s rotten line and the Robert Mugabe road, not being passed by the driver. Police fired tear gas and eventually arrested 98 protesters. They are currently in custody at Harare’s remand prison after their bail application was denied.
In its first quarter 2025 report, the ZPP raised serious concerns about 14 severe assault cases and 98 arrests about the number of individuals who suffered from human rights violations by the state before, during, and after the March 31 protest.
“The Zimbabwe Peace Project recorded 24 violations limiting freedom of assembly and associations (affecting 740 people, 270 men, 470 women and 470 women), 15 violations of freedom of expression (146 people, 72 men, 74 women, 74 women), and 14 assaults (affecting 68 citizens, 38 men and 30 women).
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The ZPP argues that these targeted violations reflect a deliberate state-led strategy that violates constitutionally guaranteed rights, particularly their right to demonstrate, freely express their views and participate in peaceful political activities.
“In anticipation of the protest, security forces were deployed to preemptively threaten citizens, arrest activists and arrest communities, while online spaces were policed to silence dissent.
The ZPP further warns that the use of the judicial system as a tool for intimidation will put immense psychological and financial pressure on detainees and their families, serving as a horrifying warning to the wider public and discourage citizens from engagement.
“These actions point to a culture of entrenched judicial law and weaponisation to punish human rights advocates. The implications for human rights are to severely dismantle freedom of expression, erode public trust in the institutions, and prevent peaceful participation in democratic processes.
“Without immediate accountability and structural reform, Zimbabwe risks institutionalizing a state of fear when objections are punished, justice is postponed and democratic freedom is pointless,” reads part of the report.
