Zimbabwe passes bill to punish 'unpatriotic acts'

Zimbabwe’s parliament has voted in favour of a controversial bill to punish citizens for "unpatriotic acts" , including imposing heavy fines or even the death penalty on them.

Critics have called it a dark day for democracy.

The so-called patriot clause of the Criminal Law Act targets those who harm the "national interest of Zimbabwe”.

It includes any citizen who meets a representative of a foreign country with the aim of encouraging sanctions against Zimbabwe or overthrowing the government.

Many senior government officials and state-owned companies are under Western sanctions over alleged human rights abuses,

They’ve long blamed the opposition for this and want to stop meetings between the opposition and foreign officials.

Parliament voted 99 to 17 in favour of the law - one of the most controversial of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s presidency.

It will now go to the senate before it is signed into law.

Critics say the legislation is unconstitutional as it would violate freedom of association and the right to free speech.

An opposition official told the BBC that the way to end sanctions is to uphold human rights, not to criminalise criticism.

The controversial changes were passed as part of a series of amendments to the Criminal Law Act.

Lawmakers also voted in favour of minimum sentences for rape.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

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