8.6 Police Harassment and Detention
Displacement
4%
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION OF VIOLATIONS
Blackmail
13%
Intersex
0%
Bi-Sexual
0%
Threat
15%
Detention
7%
Police Harrassment
8%
2017
Mixed
8%
Assault
18%
Discrimination
7%
Police Harrassment
Police Harrassment
Unfair Labour Practice
2%
Hate Speech
1%
Lesbian
23%
Transgender
15%
2016
2015
2013
Disownment
7%
Gay
54%
2012
Invasion of Privacy
7%
Outed
11%
Police Harrassment
2014
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
The highest number of police harassment and detention cases were recorded in the
2012-13 violations reports totaling 25. Police harassment generally resulted from LGBTI
persons having participated in a public event and subsequently identified by either
law enforcement agents or being familiar members of the public. Police harassment
experienced by most LGBTI persons, ranged from being denied service on the basis of
sexual orientation, (illegal) detention, interrogation and assault.
Displacement
4%
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION OF VIOLATIONS
Blackmail
13%
Detention
Unfair Labour Practice
2%
Hate Speech
1%
2017
2016
Assault
18%
Transgender
25%
Discrimination
7%
Bi-Sexual
0%
Threat
15%
Detention
7%
Police Harrassment
8%
Disownment
7%
Outed
11%
Detention
Intersex
0%
Lesbian
33%
2015
Detention
2014
2013
Gay
42%
Invasion of Privacy
7%
2012
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
The 2012-13 violations report noted allegations that some police officers had publicly
circulated the names of individuals who attended commemorations of the International
Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). This resulted in several LGBTI
persons being targeted and receiving unwelcome visits from the police. Again in the 2013
report, a case was reported where an unidentified police officer based at Mabelreign
Police station, had photo-copied and circulated a list of suspected LGBTI persons.
The list had been compiled from 44 persons taken from GALZ offices in 2012 and
briefly detained by the police. Zimbabwean law does not criminalise identification as an
LGBTI person. In almost all cases where individuals are arrested and detained, there are
usually alternative charges that are eventually laid or the individuals are released without
charge. Successful prosecutions have been rare.
An analysis of the state of human rights violations against
LGBTI persons in Zimbabwe (2011-2017)
27
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