City Bar Condemns New Law in Zimbabwe Imposing Restrictions on Civil Society Organizations

The New York City Bar Association has released a statement expressing its concern over the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Act signed by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on April 11, 2025. The new law “allows the government to cancel or refuse registration of civil society organizations (CSOs); imposes penalties for failure to register, including fines and imprisonment; establishes a new Office of the Registrar with oversight over the registration process; and imposes restrictions on the activities that CSOs can engage in.”

The City Bar asserts that the PVO Amendment Act threatens the rule of law and fundamental rights under international and regional human rights law. Several of its provisions risk violating the rights to freedom of association and assembly and freedom of expression. These restrictions on CSOs disproportionately impact vulnerable groups – including women, youth and persons with disabilities – who depend on CSOs for representation and access to essential services to combat existing social inequalities and systemic discrimination.

The law has also drawn criticism from international bodies such as Human Rights Watch, Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations, and The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders for its grave consequences on the exercise of civil and political rights.

The City Bar describes enactment of this law as “a grave assault on civic space, democratic freedoms, and Zimbabwe’s international and regional legal obligations” and calls on the Government of Zimbabwe “to immediately repeal the law and undertake a genuine, consultative reform of the regulatory framework governing civil society in line with constitutional and international human rights standards.”

Read the full statement here.

About the Association
The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has over 20,000 members, is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org.