In anticipation of the August presidential and legislative elections, Zimbabwe’s parliament has outlawed criticism of the administration.
According to sources, breaking the new law can result in a 20-year prison sentence.
The Criminal Law Code Amendment Bill, also referred to as the “Patriotic Bill,” has a provision that makes it illegal to “willfully harm Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and national interest,” according to a report from Reuters.
The bill, which was enacted late on Wednesday, was intended to penalise individuals, groups from civil society, and opponents of the ZANU-PF government in power.
Concerns have been voiced that the government may crack down on dissent before the general election on August 23, in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa will be running for re-election.
His major opponent will be Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year-old attorney and pastor who is the leader of the just-formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
Fadzayi Mahere, a lawyer and spokesperson for the CCC, called the bill “dangerous” and claimed it was intended to close the democratic space before elections.
Mahere told Reuters, “ZANU-PF has turned our once-great country into an outpost of tyranny.”
