Zimbabwe bans criticism of government ahead of elections with sentences of up to 20 years

Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe, is running for office in August. Credit: Aaron Ufumeli/Shutterstock

Zimbabwe's parliament outlaws criticism of the government ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections in August, and violations of the new law are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Act to amend the The penal code, commonly known as the Patriot Bill, contains a clause that criminalizes «deliberately damaging the sovereignty and national interests of Zimbabwe.»

Opposition activists said the law, passed late Wednesday night, was designed to punish citizens who civil society organizations and political opponents of the ruling Zanu-PF. party.

This has raised fears that the government may begin cracking down on dissent ahead of the August 23 general election, in which Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking to secure a second presidential term.

Main Rival < p>80- The old man is Nelson Chamisa, 45, a lawyer and pastor who leads the new Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC).

Fadzayi Mahere, a CCC spokesman and lawyer, described the law as «dangerous» and said that it aims to close the democratic space ahead of the elections.

“Zanu-PF has turned our great nation into an outpost of tyranny,” Mahere told Reuters.

“None of this is will work because Zimbabweans go to the polls with one mission — to bring about change in Zimbabwe. No amount of panicky tyranny on the part of Zanu will stand in the way of a change whose time has come.”

A representative for Zanu-PF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.