Cecil the lion's death was tragic - but it is not the only tragedy in Zimbabwe today. President Mugabe is a brutal dictator, clinging to power through corruption and human rights abuse.
In 2013, Zimbabwe adopted a new Constitution, offering new hope - but nothing has changed, and Mugabe's promises to his people remain unfulfilled.
Human Rights Watch says, "Laws to improve human rights in line with the constitution have yet to materialize. Police violate basic rights, such as freedom of expression and assembly, using old laws... There has been no progress."
In the last election, Mugabe's party ordered women to let other people fill out their ballots, and forced them from their homes when they refused. Or take journalist and activist Itai Dzamara, missing for four months - but Mugabe refuses to find him. And when Mugabe fell down this year, he ordered journalists to delete the images.
The abuse hits women and LGBT Africans especially hard. According to Sojourners, "One-third of girls marry before age 18. Illegal forced marriages still occur, often accompanied by domestic violence and sexual assault... LGBT activists face arbitrary arrest and harassment by police. Mugabe has publicly told gay people, whom he considers lower than 'pigs, goats, and birds,' to go to 'hell.'"
Mugabe needs to know the whole world is watching - and his people need to see we care. Sign the petition today: Tell Robert Mugabe to fulfill his constitution's promise and pass new human rights laws!
