HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed an amendment to the law which inserts a patriotism clause into Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].
The bill, officially known as the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Bill 2022, includes several amendments to existing laws.
One of the controversial amendments is Clause 2(3), which criminalizes participation in meetings related to the consideration or planning of sanctions or trade boycotts against Zimbabwe.
The clause states that any citizen or permanent resident of Zimbabwe who knowingly participates in such meetings, regardless of their location, and whose effects indiscriminately affect the people of Zimbabwe or a substantial section thereof, shall be guilty of willfully damaging the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe.
The penalties for this offense include a fine or imprisonment for a specified period.
The other amendments mentioned in your information include Clause 3, which increases the minimum punishment for rape to 15 years in response to rising sexual violence, and Clause 4, which expands the definition of dangerous drugs to include prepared opium, prepared cannabis resin, and a drug schedule.
Clause 5 amends the definition of criminal abuse of office to address concerns about the broad scope of the existing definition.
