Zimbabwe outlaws criticism of government ahead of elections | DW News

lawmakers in Zimbabwe have approved a controversial bill that Outlaws criticism of the country's government now the so-called patriotic bill which still has to be signed into law by President Emerson and mangagwa has sparked fears of a potential Crackdown on dissent it was passed just hours after the government announced that parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on August 23rd of this year and in Gaga is seeking a second term in office now journalists have criticized the law as an unconstitutional attempt to muzzle free speech and criminalize criticism of the president and his party they want to be seen to be hardliners so they want this Lord to try and put fear in the hearts of the electorate in the hearts of the opposition by using this bad law which is coming on the eve of an election much of the outcry stems from one Clause that criminalizes acts that quote damage the sovereignty and National interest of Zimbabwe in extreme cases violators face up to 20 years behind bars now the ruling zanu PF party says that this is meant to encourage the people of Zimbabwe to love their country but Civil Society leaders they are sounding the alarm here The prominent journalists and activist Hopewell chinoa wrote on Twitter a very sad day for Zimbabwe today as that country's Parliament has passed the Patriot Act bill into law it seeks to destroy freedom of Association and assembly free speech is now dead and any Zimbabwean holding a meeting with a foreign government official will be jailed yeah very Stark term is there for more on this law I want to bring in now Mr tendai bitty the Constitutional lawyer and a former Finance Minister in the government of national unity in Harare it's good to have you on the program Mr Beatty if if seems likely president imingagogua signs this bill into law what will that mean for freedom of speech and democracy in Zimbabwe it would definitely have a major chilling effect uh on Zimbabwean citizens on us in the opposition uh on mgos it will prescribe their right to filter of Association freedom of speech remember what it is essentially doing is that don't interact with the foreign government don't bid maltas with a foreign you know you know government and if you look closely at the law securing a conviction will be very difficult but the predatory incarceration which could last up to years they'll fix you for that as I'm talking to you right now honorable jobs color has been in prison since June 14 last year over something that many people will know you will not get convicted of so this is a claim down on the opposition this is a claim down on alternative opinion and remember true that this is coming in the context of the recently uh you know past the private voluntary organizations act which stops ngos pvos from receiving foreign funding and so forth so it's basically an emasculation of democratic space let me let me ask you since since it says that you're not supposed to bad mouth the the government um with a foreign entity um let's let's consider you and me um I work for an international broadcaster you're in Zimbabwe and you and I are talking and you criticize the government under this patriotic law the Patriot law could you be accused of violating that law because you'd be put in prison for talking with me is easily if if uh if a if if if you are considered if your radio station is considered a proxy uh or for the German government definitely yes it it fits into into the into the bill uh so uh so they say government or aged or proxy of of the government that can mean anything that can mean anything uh so the definition is is is is is is wide uh and remember the the offense is the anything that put into distribution the sovereignty of Zimbabwe that means that if I speak uh honestly about let's say the corruption the massive corruption in this country obviously that affects the sovereignty but it's fact and I'm entitled uh to to to speak on that is Zimbabwe I got a right to criticize that which is wrong but this law is saying you can't do that and shut your your mouth and and don't say anything a bit about us and and considering that you've got the government that has just announced elections will take place on August 23rd do you expect these elections do you expect them to be free and fair quite clearly no I mean I've just come from Parliament right now we we were stopped from uh discussing amendments of the Electoral acts because the our law says you can't pass any amendments once a presidential once the proclamation for elections has been made in this Juno elections were proclaimed yesterday the 31st of May 2023 so there are no reforms the voter registration exercise has been symbolic uh we in the opposition have been denied the right to address people since January more than 6304 meetings have been banned opposition leaders including jobs mentioned in prison another opportunity there was jail for four years a few weeks ago for encouraging people to go on a peaceful demonstration I is I'm talking to you right now I'm facing a a charge of a criminal nuisance of allegedly shouting at someone and I've been in court for over over over 70 days so it's a claim down uh it's it's the fastest limited waste but that's Zimbabwe so we don't expect a free and fair election Network I just wanted to ask you last time around in 2018 the the incumbent Emerson emangagwa won just months after he had ousted long-time president Robert Mugabe I remember it well it was live on television it was a palace coup the zanu PF party it has been in power non-stop since Independence in 1980. is there any chance is there any chance of the opposition winning this time without a doubt I mean in a free and fair election we'll win his town uh you know the average citizen once said average citizen is suffering is I'm talking to you right now inflation is close to a thousand percent in the past two weeks are alone our currency is collapsed by over a 400 you know you know you know you know you know percent the shortage of goods in the in in the markets and salaries have been eroded by exchange rate and and mismanagement uh uh uh you know you know you know you know it's over two thirds of our people are living in in in in in extreme poverty surviving on less than USA 1.25 cents a day over four million zimbabweans are out in the diaspora aching a living this is a perfect classical you know you know environment and context for people voting for Change and they will vote for change uh so without a doubt but you have a problem if that's the elections in Zimbabwe are determined by the selectorate and not the electorate so how do you uh demilitarize these elections how do you civilianize these elections how do you create an environment that can guarantee free and fair elections in Zimbabwe and that's a million dollar question yeah and we will definitely be following um The Campaign and that election in August Mr tendai bitty Zimbabwean parliamentarian and constitutional lawyer we appreciate your your time tonight and um your your honesty thank you

Channel: DW News

Views: 59,075

Keywords: DW News, Zimbabwe, Africa, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Elections, Freedom of speech, patriotic bill, Hopewell Chin'ono

Id: 9R_8C6m1j3E

Length: 8min 59sec (539 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 02 2023