Zimbabwe makes ID cards compulsory

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Human rights groups have criticised a proposal by Zimbabwe's government to jail or fine people who move about without identity cards.

In a statement published in the official Herald newspaper on Thursday, the government said it had approved amendments to the National Registration Act and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to make it compulsory for people to carry either a national ID card, a passport or a driver's licence.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the amendments -- which he said would soon be tabled in parliament -- were "aimed at dealing with increasing criminal and terrorism activities," Reuters reported.

The law would overturn a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed such measures as an infringement of the right to free movement.

But Chinamasa said the ruling had made police work difficult in identifying suspected criminals, identifying accident victims and in detecting illegal immigrants.

Under the proposed changes, a person moving without any form of ID would face a fine of up to $5,000 (U.S.$90) or a year in jail.

But human rights groups said the amendments violated the constitution.

"The government is creating a repressive atmosphere with all these draconian proposals, especially at a time when the government has given an impression that it will crush all dissent," a spokesman for the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, one of Zimbabwe's leading rights groups told Reuters.

Critics say President Robert Mugabe, 77, is tightening electoral rules and other laws in his favour ahead of next year's presidential poll.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to give Mugabe the hardest challenge of his career in the elections.

Mugabe came to power 21 years ago

The government has tabled proposals to ban local independent election monitors and forbid private organisations from conducting voter education.

The changes would oblige voters to produce several documents to prove their residence, while denying voting rights to millions of Zimbabweans abroad.

On Wednesday, state officials said the government also planned to reintroduce a Public Order Security Bill, which critics say is intended to suppress opposition ahead of the presidential polls.

It will punish "acts of insurgency, banditry, sabotage, terrorism, treason and subversion" with life imprisonment or death penalty.