This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
On October 26, 2019, the US State Department announced it would deny a visa to Owen Ncube, Zimbabwe's Minister of Public Security, under a sanctions law targeting 'gross violations of human rights.'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed deep concern over the Zimbabwean government's use of state-sanctioned violence against peaceful protesters, civil society, labor leaders, and opposition members.
He urged the government to stop the violence, investigate, and hold accountable officials responsible for human rights violations and abuses in Zimbabwe.
The move comes as Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa struggles to revive the country's troubled economy, with inflation still skyrocketing and shortages of basic goods.
Western powers had tense relations with Zimbabwe's former ruler Robert Mugabe, but hopes for a thaw after his ousting in November 2017 were short-lived.
