In a decision welcomed by democracy activists in Zimbabwe and around the world, the High Court of Zimbabwe ordered the state to pay reparations to Jestina Mukoko, a prominent human rights defender and director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project. In 2008, the World Movement issued a DemocracyAlert after Mukoko was abducted from her home by armed men and accused of plotting to topple Robert Mugabe’s administration. She was held incommunicado for three weeks, during which she was subjected to inhumane living conditions and torture.

Along with financial reparations, the High Court’s decision also set a landmark precedent by ruling that the state agents who kidnapped Mukoko could be held individually liable for their actions. “The High Court’s decision sends a clear signal to the Zimbabwean authorities, who must do everything in their power to guarantee victims access to impartial justice and to put an end to the endemic impunity that is enjoyed by torturers and the perpetrators of serious human rights violations,” remarked Mukoko. Read more about the case and what it could indicate for justice in Zimbabwe here.