Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of human rights abuses against (1) women, and (2) political activists, in Zimbabwe.

We remain seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It is one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. On 1 February 2021, the UK announced new sanctions against four Zimbabwean security sector chiefs for serious human rights violations. We are concerned at the high rates of Gender-Based Violence which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 response, including reports of harassment by police officers enforcing lockdown laws. In an effort to safeguard women's rights, we spent £3,470,000 in 20/21 to support the work of civil society organisations working to tackle gender-based violence. We are concerned by the unacceptable pattern of arrests of prominent opposition and civil society figures. The Minister for Africa has regularly raised concern about the treatment of political opponents, most recently on 29 March in response to the harassment of opposition members Ms Mamombe, Ms Chimbiri, and Ms Marowa. We remain clear that the Government of Zimbabwe must meet its international and domestic obligations by respecting the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, and committing to genuine political and economic reform for the benefit of all Zimbabweans.