Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) strongly condemns the sexual and physical assaults, threats, and surveillance targeting the exiled journalist Sophia Tekwani and her family in Sweden, as part of a dangerous pattern of transnational repression by Zimbabwean authorities.
Today, 27 November 2025, the Foundation submitted a formal complaint to seven United Nations Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, human rights defenders, peaceful assembly, violence against women, torture, enforced disappearance and the right to privacy.
Sophia Simbarashe Tekwani, a Zimbabwean national residing in Sweden under temporary protection with her children, is a radio journalist and holds an official position in the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Tekwani combines political engagement with human rights advocacy. She serves as the Scandinavian Branch Chairperson and EU Secretary for International Relations of the CCC, coordinating diaspora activities, engaging in international advocacy, and representing the party in European forums. In addition, she works as a radio journalist for Change Radio, an independent platform reporting on human rights violations and democratic reforms in Zimbabwe. Through her journalism, she has exposed cases of arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances, focusing on defending freedom of expression, supporting victims of political violence, and advocating for accountability and rule of law in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has witnessed a severe deterioration in human rights conditions for years, with freedom of expression and peaceful assembly facing harsh restrictions. Journalists and political activists have been subjected to systematic repression. Following the August 2023 elections, authorities tightened their grip on the opposition—particularly the CCC—through arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances. International reports have documented cases of activists abducted to remote locations, subjected to beatings, torture, and sexual violence, all under complete impunity. This pattern of violations extends beyond Zimbabwe’s borders, targeting dissidents in exile through surveillance, threats, and physical assaults, constituting transnational repression and posing a grave threat to international human rights standards.
Official Swedish documents and medical reports confirm that on 30 December 2024, Sophia was brutally raped near the Zimbabwean Embassy in Stockholm, where she was physically assaulted, and her phone and her children’s passports were stolen—an egregious violation of Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) prohibiting torture, and of the Convention Against Torture, which recognizes sexual violence as a form of torture. The Swedish forensic medical report documented injuries and collected forensic samples, while Swedish police confirmed the incident in an official record.
The loss of passports during a documented incident reported to Swedish police, combined with ongoing threats, places the children in a legally precarious situation and heightens their vulnerability. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), states are obligated to ensure every child’s right to identity and protection from circumstances that jeopardize their safety and stability. We therefore urge the competent authorities to take immediate measures to regularize the children’s residency status and provide the necessary documentation to safeguard them from further harm.
This was not the first attack. In November 2022, her minor son was abducted, subjected to brutal sexual assault, and interrogated in Shona, as noted in a Swedish Migration Agency memorandum—constituting a violation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as Article 19 of the ICCPR guaranteeing freedom of expression, given the clear link to Sophia’s media and political activities. The family also received repeated threats from numbers registered to the embassy, experienced home surveillance, and intimidation messages, forcing Swedish authorities to implement protective measures including identity concealment, secure housing, and monitoring of stolen communications.
These violations not only breach Zimbabwe’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)—which prohibits sexual and gender-based violence as a tool of political repression—but also implicate Sweden under international law. LDSF stresses the urgent need for a zero-tolerance policy toward such practices, including immediate investigation, accountability for perpetrators, and firm diplomatic action against any involved officials. Sweden is obligated under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to declare any implicated diplomatic staff persona non grata, and under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to ensure the best interests of children and resolve residency issues for those at risk, as well as under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which prohibits torture and guarantees protection and non-refoulement.
LDSF affirms that transnational repression against journalists and activists in exile undermines international protection systems and poses a serious threat to democratic values. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has emphasized that such violations represent a global threat to human rights, imposing a clear obligation on states—particularly Sweden as a UN and EU member—to ensure effective protection for individuals at risk, investigate crimes committed on their territory, and confront any foreign involvement without compromise.
On 13 November, the European Parliament adopted a comprehensive report on transnational repression, confirming that 80% of cases are perpetrated by just ten states, recording over 1,200 incidents in 103 countries over the past decade, including targeted killings, abductions, and violence. The report called for a ban on spyware exports and the imposition of targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (European Magnitsky Act).
LDSF Calls for the Following Actions:
To the Government of Zimbabwe:
- End all forms of transnational repression against journalists and human rights defenders.
- Launch an independent and transparent investigation into the involvement of embassy staff in Stockholm in assaults and threats.
- Issue public guarantees of non-repetition and cease smear campaigns against journalists abroad.
To Swedish Authorities:
- Strengthen protection measures for Sophia and her children, including continued secure housing and identity protection.
- Expedite processing of children’s residency status in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, given documented risks and passport theft.
- Pursue criminal investigations into crimes committed on Swedish soil, including any foreign involvement, and take appropriate diplomatic measures under the Vienna Convention.
Say no to Transnational Repression (sexual violence) on female journalists and children. Perpetrators should account for their crimes!!!