On 16 July 2026, Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L), together with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), the Law Society of England and Wales, and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC), submitted a joint report for the fourth cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Zimbabwe. The review will take place during the 54th UPR Working Group session in January-February 2027.
Background and scope of the submission
This submission is based on interviews conducted with lawyers practising in Zimbabwe and research carried out by the submitting organisations, focusing on the following thematic areas:
- Significant legal developments since Zimbabwe’s 3rd cycle review;
- Lack of independence of the judiciary;
- Laws and regulations undermining the independence of the legal profession;
- Barriers to practise preventing lawyers from effectively representing clients;
- Systemic persecution of lawyers.
Failure to implement previous UPR recommendations
The submission raises serious concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession in Zimbabwe, and about the Government’s failure to implement recommendations it accepted during the previous review cycle. Of the 12 recommendations Zimbabwe supported in January 2022 – on judicial independence and the protection of human rights defenders – none has been meaningfully implemented.
Erosion of judicial independence
Since the last review, judicial appointments have increasingly bypassed independent oversight. A new constitutional amendment (CAB3), enacted during the reporting period, extends the President’s power to appoint all judges without input from the Judicial Service Commission. Judges who have ruled against the government, including Justice Erica Ndewere and Justice Mushore, have been dismissed or side-lined, while reports point to financial benefits, including loans of up to US $400,000, granted to judges ahead of elections.
Legislative restrictions and barriers to effective legal representation
The report also documents restrictive laws squeezing the legal profession, including the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Act, which grants sweeping powers to suspend or deregister NGOs, including legal aid providers; the Legal Aid (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which would place free legal aid under executive licensing; and the Interception of Communications Act, which permits surveillance without judicial authorisation and offers no protection for lawyer-client confidentiality.
Lawyers interviewed for the report described being routinely denied prompt access to case files and detained clients, and forced to consult with clients within earshot of police or prison officers, undermining their ability to prepare an effective defence.
Attacks, threats, and persecution of lawyers
The submission further documents a pattern of physical attacks, threats and arbitrary prosecutions against lawyers acting in politically sensitive cases. Human rights lawyer Douglas Coltart was violently removed from a public hearing on the constitutional amendment and later threatened by a group calling itself the “Presidential Mafia.” Lawyer Kudzai Kadzere was assaulted by police while assisting a client, then charged by the same officers, while Harrison Nkomo had a firearm pointed at his head outside a courtroom despite identifying himself as counsel. In each case, the submitting organisations found little evidence that perpetrators have been held accountable.
In light of these developments, the report puts forward recommendations to the Zimbabwean Government to address the systemic violations described and align with international standards on human rights and rule of law:
- Bring the process for judicial appointments in line with international standards on transparency, accountability and public participation;
- Guarantee judges’ freedom of expression and ensure disciplinary proceedings against them follow clear, independent procedures;
- Repeal or review laws, including the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Act and the Legal Aid (Amendment) Bill, that place civil society and legal aid providers under executive control;
- Ensure lawyers have prompt, confidential access to their clients and to the case materials necessary to prepare an effective defence;
- Ensure that all attacks, threats and acts of intimidation against lawyers are promptly and independently investigated, and that perpetrators are brought to justice;
- Publicly condemn, at the highest level of government, attacks on lawyers, and refrain from measures that identify lawyers with the causes of their clients.
Read the full submission here
