CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE About the Report This report covers the state of human rights in Zimbabwe in the year 2018. While it is impossible to capture and record every single incident that happened in the year, the report presents and analyses key events and incidences that shaped the human rights landscape, as well as compliance, accountability and impunity. The report locates Zimbabwe in the global human rights matrix, gives an outline of Zimbabwe’s human rights legal framework and enforcement mechanisms, and comments on progress and challenges experienced. The report looks at violations that occurred; who was responsible; who was targeted; what was done about the violations; accountability; enforcement of human rights and protections; compliance with the law; judicial and non-judicial enforcement of human rights; due process; legal and institutional reform; and the interplay of the macro-economic and political environment and how that affected human rights in 2018, as well as broad comparisons with global standards. The report concludes with recommendations for enhanced protection of human rights in Zimbabwe. Emmerson Mnangagwa. 2018 becomes especially an important year because it was the first year of President Emerson Mnangagwa’s presidency. Mnangagwa began his reign by farreaching rhetoric about opening democratic space and expanding freedoms – itself an acceptance that democratic space in Zimbabwe was, hitherto, constricted. Methodology A quantitative and qualitative methodology was used in the preparation of this report, with a mix of both primary and secondary data forming the basis of the information presented in the report. Reports compiled by researchers, civil society institutions, inter-governmental organisations and government were used, as were media reports and legal instruments such as laws, statutory instruments, the Constitution and international law instruments on human rights in Zimbabwe. This was necessary to generate background information that informed significant parts of the report. Key informant interviews were conducted across the spectrum, including with victims of human rights abuses, and this aided in the generation of primary data. The data was verified through various means, including through originators and corroboration, to ensure accuracy and consistency. Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe is a comprehensive and progressive Declaration of Rights that places upon everyone, the duties to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights and freedoms set out in the Declaration. In the declaration is the full range of human rights: from civil and political to social, cultural and economic rights, to third generation rights. The rest of the Constitution supports the protection of fundamental freedoms through an elaborate checks and balance system, and the creation of constitutional watchdogs that include independent commissions which are provided for in Chapter 12 of the Constitution. Human Rights in Zimbabwe – 38 years on The November 2017 military coup ended the rule of Robert Mugabe and ushered in that of The Zimbabwe Constitution, and other 2 STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ZIMBABWE 2018