ZIMBABWE has been ranked among the world’s worst performers in terms of human freedom, the Human Freedom Index (HFI) has revealed.
The country was ranked 153 out of 165 countries with analysts saying the report aptly captured the country’s human rights situation.
The index was carried out by the Fraser Institute, an independent non-partisan research and educational organisation based in Canada.
The HFI measures an absence of coercive constraints using 86 indicators that include the rule of law, security and freedom of expression, association, information, economy and the operations of a country’s judiciary.
“The HFI also finds a strong relationship between human freedom and democracy. The findings in the HFI suggest that freedom plays an important role in human well-being, and they offer opportunities for further research into the complex ways in which freedom influences and can be influenced by political regimes, economic development, and the whole range of indicators of human well-being,” the report read.
The report comes as Zimbabwe’s human rights record continues to falter due to numerous incidents of human rights abuses, political repression, compromised rule of law and poor economic development, which prompted human rights watchdog Amnesty International to lobby the African Union to compel the Zimbabwean government to uphold human rights.
Zimbabwe scored a mere 4,86 out of 10 sitting at 157 on the HFI on human rights.
Zanu-PF director of Information Farai Marapira, however, said: "We are open to various options from different stakeholders. However, we have reservations (about) the index and why they possibly could have given us such a low rank. Moreover, we don't know the criteria they used to arrive at such an assertion. As Zanu PF we always face agenda setting and this is an example. As we progress, people should try to be factual.
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On personal freedom the country scored 5,61 while on economic freedom it scored 3,81, ranking number 164 out of the 165 indexed countries.
Political analyst Effie Ncube described the index as a true reflection of what is prevailing on the ground.
“There are too many legal and extra legal constraints to the freedoms of association, expression, speech and assembly. The rule of law, a key aspect of democratic governance, is absent. Dissenting political and civic voices are being persecuted left, right and centre,” he said.
Ncube added: “This report will result in even more calls for the government to ensure far reaching democratic reforms and open up for the free flow of ideas. It will also make the lifting of sanctions very difficult and further make economic revival a challenge. Hopefully, the government will see this as an opportunity to learn and change course.”
Political observer Rejoice Ngwenya said Zimbabwe is one of the most “unfree” countries in the world.
“No demos are allowed,” he said. “Opposition is intimidated, arrested and occasionally banished from Parliament.
“There's a near one party state that captures all institutions associated with democracy. Never-mind a corrupt ruling class. This index is correct and it keeps our country isolated with a high credit risk. We can't attract honest capital and FDI, thus increasing our poverty.”
Another political observer Vivid Gwede said: “The Zimbabwe authorities have increasingly restricted civil and political freedoms as seen by arbitrary arrests and physical harassment of political opponents and virtual ban on peaceful demonstrations. In recent months, this situation has worsened due to the electoral dispute around the 2023 harmonised election. It is not surprising that the country is ranked poorly.”
Political commentator, Rashweat Mukundu said: “We have had a few cases that demonstrate that Zimbabwe is reneging not only on its Constitution, but also international obligations of human rights, thus the abduction, the torture, killing of political opponents, the arrest of opposition members, the corruption as well as poor public service delivery, the capture of Parliament and the judiciary. This all points to a country that the struggling.”
