December 2018 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS misconduct on the part of members of the security services and for remedying harm caused by such misconduct. The December incidents follow a pattern ZPP has been observing over the months of economic decline which continues to brew fertile conditions for social uproar and frustrations. Deep seated anger, and vicious cycles of reprisals continue to tarnish the hopes of Zimbabweans who following the events of November 2017 were full of promise of a positive shift in the governance and socio-economic front. The continued rise in the prices of basic commodities, shortage of essential goods, poor access to medical products and the subsequent pricing of commodities in the US dollar during the month have raised the levels of frustrations. Non progressive roundtable dialogues have not yielded fruitful results further deepening the crisis, one case in point being the slow response of the government to the doctor’s 20 day plus industrial action. Government acknowledges that there are challenges in the country but continues to fail to implement corrective measures to effectively contain the years of suffering endured by the citizens. Matters are not helped by the progressive emasculation of institutions like the judicial branch that would curb executive excess. Nonstate actors like the press, non-governmental organisations, cultural and religious institutions have laboured under the yoke of regime-sanctioned repression in its many forms, ranging from intimidation, smears, detentions, raids, closures, financial restrictions and in many cases, torture and extrajudicial killings. These excesses are conducted under the veneer of a legal framework designed to justify them notwithstanding the protections contained in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. ZPP has previously predicted that industrial action in protest of worsening economic conditions would escalate and this would exacerbate violations of human rights. As economic hardships worsen, government is likely to resort to heavy handedness to keep citizens in check as there seems to be no practical solutions to current economic problems. Recommendations  Engagement meeting with ZRP and Municipal authorities to address increasing cases of police brutality and violations of rights during the discharge of their duties to maintain order.  Engagement with Parliament to push for the enactment of Section 210 of the constitution which demands the establishment of the Independent Complaints Mechanism that ensures security forces discharge their duties in accordance with the constitution 9