Zimbabwe’s history is marked by political violence and human rights abuses, particularly under Robert Mugabe’s autocratic regime. His rule featured electoral fraud, media suppression, opposition crackdowns, and atrocities such as the Gukurahundi genocide, where 20,000 civilians were killed. Other violent events include the Chimoio and Nyadzonya massacres (1970s), the Matabeleland massacres (1980–1987), violent land reforms (2000–2001), and Operation Murambatsvina (2005). Election-related violence has been a recurring feature since independence in 1980, with the state actively targeting opposition members and dissenting groups, including trade unions and civil society organizations. After Mugabe’s ousting in a 2017 coup led by current president Emmerson Mnangagwa, violence and suppression remain prevalent.

Zimbabwe has undertaken various transitional justice measures, including amnesties, commissions of inquiry, political agreements, and constitutional reforms. Under Mugabe, initiatives included the 1980 Forgive and Forget Reconciliation Decree, the Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena Commissions (1983), the War Victims Compensation Fund (1990s), and the Global Political Agreement (2009). Recent measures under Mnangagwa include the National Peace and Reconciliation Act (2019) and the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry (2018).