*Zimbabwe marks rise in digital surveillance, repression on journalists and human rights defenders* - ___________________________________ `June 14, 2025` ___________________________________ > *Follow The Voice Online News WhatsApp channel:* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaPRQqTHrDZdGRK5yH43 ___________________________________ > *Share The Voice Online News WhatsApp group link:* https://chat.whatsapp.com/DjU5F7Goh3M6M4XSkg81Gx ___________________________________ > *To advertise with The Voice Online News, talk to us here:* https://wa.me/message/PLR6ANGW2RX4I1 ___________________________________ ZIMBABWE continues to witness an increase in digital surveillance by authorities, which has become an impediment to civil liberties resulting in the repression of journalists and human rights defenders. This is according to the latest research report by Unwanted Witness, titled “Surveillance/Spyware: An Impediment to Civil Society, HRDs and Journalists in East & Southern Africa”, launched in Harare, Friday. Journalists and human rights defenders are bearing the brunt of digital surveillance, which the government has expanded through laws such as the Cyber and Data Protection Act. The report indicates that this legislation grants the government broad powers to conduct surveillance under the guise of national security, undermining human rights. “Zimbabwe’s surveillance law grants the State sweeping surveillance powers, enabling mass monitoring of individuals under the guise of national security. These laws lack adequate judicial oversight, raising serious concerns about privacy, civil liberties, and freedom of expression. “Particularly, the Cyber and Data Protection Act provides law enforcement agencies unrestricted access to personal data and digital communications. “The absence of independent oversight facilitates mass surveillance of HRDs, journalists, and political opponents, undermining privacy rights and exposing activists to increased risks of persecution,” read the report. The Cyber and Data Protection Act has been criticised for fostering self-censorship among journalists, who fear persecution by authorities. Earlier this year, Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga was arrested under the Act, a move that drew widespread condemnation. He endured more than 70 days in pre-trial detention. “Surveillance and spyware use in Zimbabwe reveal a pattern of political repression, particularly during elections and constitutional debates. “In early 2025, Zimbabwe’s government intensified its crackdown on dissent, exemplified by the seventy-nine day detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga, alongside repeated arrests of critics like Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume, likely facilitated by spyware surveillance (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025),” the report notes. The report further highlights that surveillance has intensified amid internal divisions within the ruling Zanu PF party, as factions clash over proposals to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule beyond constitutional limits. “Amid 2024–2025 debates on constitutional amendments to extend presidential term limits, CCTV expansion in Harare has coincided with heightened activist monitoring. “The 2021 Cyber and Data Protection Law provides no oversight, enabling surveillance abuses in a polarised political climate, with data likely fuelling targeted spyware operations,” the research further noted. _*NewZimbabwe*_