The government has been criticised for its decision on Tuesday to a United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly measure that seeks to protect vulnerable populations against “genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”
Several prominent Zimbabweans took to Twitter to express their outrage over the move that put the country in the same boat with the likes of North Korea, Russia, China, Burundi, and Eritrea, countries that are known for violating human rights with impunity.
Below are some of the views that Pindula News gleaned from the microblogging site:
Siphosami Malunga: A Shocking-Embarrassing BUT also Unnecessary & Ineffectual NO Vote:
Genocide, crimes against humanity & war crimes are prohibited by customary international law. That means their prevention, prosecution & punishment is obligatory/binding for all nations even if they vote ‘no’
Zenzele Ndebele: With a history of committing a #Genocide in #Matebeleland Zimbabwe voted NO to the responsibility to protect and prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.. #Asakhe #Gukurahundi
Alex Magaisa: In 2018 I had a conversation with a diplomat at the UN in New York. He said the “New Dispensation” was going to take a new direction in international relations by ditching the image of being with the “bad boys gang”. It would abstain rather than vote. But some things never change.
Hopewell Chin’ono: Why did Mnangagwa’s regime vote against a UN resolution on the responsibility to protect and prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity? What does this mean about its commitment towards human rights and respect of international law? TRAGIC!!
Thandekile Moyo: Did you guys expect Zanupf to vote yes? To the protection and prevention of genocide,
War crimes,
Ethnic cleansing,
& Crimes against humanity?
For unrepentant perpetrators of such crimes,
Voting yes would have been irrational.
Zimbabwe is in the hands of criminals.
#ZanuPfMustGo
Ibhetshu LikaZulu: From the 17th to18/5/2021, the UN debated and voted on the “The responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity”. Zimbabwe voted against this resolution.
Peter Ndoro: It is hard to understand why #Zimbabwe, Burundi, Egypt and Eritrea would vote against a United Nations resolution on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. 
Very sad.
David Coltart: Zimbabweans these are the countries whose governments voted against a UN resolution on the responsibility to protect & prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. This is a list of shame. The MDC Alliance will remove #Zimbabwe from this list.
George Charamba: Zimbabwe voted nyet (Russian for No) against this omnibus General Assembly Resolution especially because of the part of it to do with the responsibility to protect, R2P. Those with no sense of recent history or who mistakenly think western global imperial power is benign and benevolent, forget it was precisely this same clause – RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT – which was used to attack Gaddafi’s Libya, and which almost got invoked for use against Zimbabwe had it not been for the double veto by Russia and China!