The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, has written to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, advising him not to sign the “Patriotic Bill” into law.
Clause 2 of the controversial Patriotic Bill, legally known as the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Bill, will criminalise Zimbabweans who criticise the government, call for sanctions to be imposed on the country, or call for a trade boycott.
The Bill was approved by both the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament and is now waiting for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s signature.
In a communique, MISA Zimbabwe said Commissioner Topsy-Sonoo warned that the Bill will have far-reaching consequences on freedom of expression and association in Zimbabwe if signed into law.
In her letter to Mnangagwa last week, the Commissioner advised that the proposed law will have the effect of curtailing the exercise of rights such as media freedom and freedom of expression, the right to privacy, access to information, freedom of conscience, political rights, freedom to demonstrate and petition, and freedom of assembly and association and will potentially cripple the work and mandate of non-governmental organisations.
The National Assembly passed the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill on 31 May 2023, with the Senate subsequently following suit.
The Patriotic Bill comes a few months after the passage of the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill, which is also awaiting presidential assent before it comes into effect.
Critics have warned that both Bills will curtail freedom of assembly, the right to free expression and the right to privacy, among other rights.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is a quasi-judicial body established by the African Union and is officially charged with three major functions, that is, the protection of human and peoples’ rights, the promotion of human and peoples’ rights and the interpretation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
More: Pindula News
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