Practical Guide: Zimbabwe’s Maintenance of Peace and Order Act
Ensuring Compliance by Organizers of Assemblies
PUBLISHED: APRIL 2020
On November 15, 2019, the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (the Act), which repeals and replaces the Public Order and Security Act of 2002, went into effect. The Act governs gatherings, processions, and public demonstrations and thus impacts the freedoms of assembly and expression in Zimbabwe.
This short ICNL guide guides organizers of assemblies through five key steps and considerations:
- Determining whether the Act applies to your gathering
- Understanding whether the Act limits the assembly
- Notifying the appropriate authorities
- Consulting with authorities to set conditions for the assembly
- Remembering the rules for liability and punishment for violation of the Act
