WOZA – press releases describing recent events

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UPDATE: 17TH FEBRUARY – Friday evening update

After spending over 72 hours in custody, 63 WOZA women, part of 242 arrested in Harare on Valentine’s Day, who had braved deplorable conditions, intimidation, refusal of food and water, appeared before Magistrate Takavadiyi at 3:30pm, Friday 17 February 2006. They were granted free bail but will appear for a further remand hearing on 3rd March. One woman described their treatment by saying “we were treated worse than dogs – you do not make a dog sleep on human waste”! This morning police had to summon an ambulance for a woman who could not be revived after fainting. She has been hospitalised and was not able to appear in court.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights had to make a High Court application to secure the release of the women who refused to pay admission of guilt fines and submit to “the standard hostage tactics of the police” but were demanding their right to be brought to court. In an urgent chamber application, lawyers, Irene Petras and Tafadzwa Mugabe alleged that that they were obstructed from gaining access to their clients who were being held in ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions’ and were under extreme pressure to pay Admission of Guilt fines to purchase their freedom.

The application also referred to the illegal holding of the women by Detective Inspector Rangwani, who used “psychological pressure” and dirty tactics to force them to pay fines, including threatening to detain them until Monday 20th February if they insisted on going to court. The application stated, “These threats, in effect meant that those with the money were being extorted of their cash in exchange for their liberty as they are extreme pressure to pay or face further detention”. The application goes on to mention that this behaviour “is part and parcel of the harassment of human rights defenders that has been orchestrated with impunity by the police…”

The matter of those that paid the fines is still subject to challenge as those who did so paid them under protest.

The leaders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) salute the courage of all the 420 women, 19 babies and seven men who were arrested for demanding bread and roses for all, thereby exposing the cruel and vicious behaviour of this regime toward citizens it is supposed to protect and serve.

WOZA would also like to thank the uniformed forces who bravely offered encouragement and support to all the human right defenders whilst in detention. We call on those who overzealously defend a regime that cares little for them, including Officers Mhondoro, Martin Matira, George Levison Ngwenya and Detective Inspector Rangwani, to show compassion for those fighting for the rights of all Zimbabweans, including theirs.

WOZA declares a victory for all freedom-loving Zimbabweans. This week WOZA broke through the fear barrier; anyone watching the processions in Bulawayo and Harare will tell you of smiling and singing people who were enjoying liberating the streets. We hope this example of non-violent activism will encourage more Zimbabweans to be prepared to sacrifice their liberty in order to gain their freedom. WOZA will be marching in a street near you soon – get ready to join in the fun!

UPDATE: 16TH FEBRUARY 2006 – Thursday Evening Update

Approximately 150 women remain in custody for a third night in Harare Central Police station. Police remain uncooperative with regard to taking the women to court and continue to exert pressure on them to pay admission of guilt fines. Lawyers are finalising a court application for them to be brought to court tomorrow as they are now illegally detained. One woman has been hospitalised suffering from stomach problems.

It has been problematic to obtain accurate numbers of those in custody and the following has come to light. Firstly police officers have blocked the access of lawyers to their clients. Secondly, it transpires that as women made their way to the demonstration starting point they were ‘netted’ by the police and council’s ‘Operation Valentine’ and ended up in custody. Those that made it through the net to the starting point conducted the protest and were only arrested as they dispersed. Police acting on an inaccurate tip-off were at the wrong location – Causeway Post Office and had to divert to Parliament; arresting the women outside the Anglican Cathedral. It was only when the protestors got to the police station that they saw their colleagues and heard this news. As lawyers have had limited access, this news has only come to light as women have been released.

More reports confirming the assault of women by Mhondoro and other police officers have also been received. On Wednesday evening, when Williams was delivering food in the presence of a lawyer, Officer Mhondoro indicated that he had been attempting to contact Williams to dialogue and asked her to visit his office and to come alone (i.e. without a lawyer). He gave her his mobile number +263 11 513 364. This is the same man who has routinely beat WOZA women for the last year.

One of the women released today testified that on Tuesday Mhondoro told women that Williams had been arrested on Monday in Harare and was still in custody and ‘had promised to stop demonstrating in Zimbabwe’ so all the women should do the same – to which there was a chorus of replies that they were not demonstrating for Williams’ rights but for their own rights and would continue to do so!

Williams was in fact in custody in Bulawayo and spent over an hour being ‘lectured’ about how she should ‘dialogue’ with police officers. Legal advice is being sought about the safety of Williams to attend these ‘dialogue’ appointments. Consultations are also being made with the leadership of WOZA as it if they should be taken as genuine attempts to dialogue.

Meanwhile WOZA is inviting activists to send text messages to Officer Mhondoro advising him to cease assaulting innocent women. Friends wishing to offer advice can also email us on wozazimbabwe@yahoo.com.

Those in London or its surroundings can also show their support by attending the solidarity demo outside Zimbabwe House on the Strand on Saturday 18th at 12 noon.

UPDATE: 16TH FEBRUARY 2006 – Afternoon update

A disturbing report has been received from a WOZA woman who had been in custody but who had such bad stomach pains that she paid a fine to be released. She was taken to a doctor and en route gave the following details:

‘When Williams and Mahlangu were seen bringing in food yesterday, they asked to be given the food but were told, ‘you must know that this is a struggle and learn to starve’. Only some of the women were given food at 11pm last night. Today lunch was not allowed into the police station. The women were also told by police that they preferred to give water to prostitutes and vendors rather than WOZA women. Access to toilets is also being denied. Reports are also being received that several women were assaulted on Tuesday by a PISI officer, Mhondoro, who has beaten WOZA women in custody on several occasions in the past. Some were slapped with an open palm across the face; others were kicked in their sides by booted officers as they sat on the floor in detention. (Names of some of these women are available.) 38 women spent Tuesday night standing in one tiny cell. Those on ARV treatment were unable to take their medication because they were denied food. From 2 to 6pm yesterday, women were made to sit in the hot sun just out of sheer malice, it seems. Because of these conditions and the intimidation and pressure being applied by police officers, some women, including those pregnant and with babies, paid admission of guilt fines of $25 000 and were released. These number approximately 30. At 2 pm today police suddenly decided to raise the fine to $250 000 and lawyers are querying if this is legal. A conversation was also overhead by the woman that Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri had called to order the women to be released. A senior female officer was also said to have come to the detention room and in front of women asked the officers why the women were still in custody and demanded that they be accorded their right to be heard in a court of law or released.’

Meanwhile WOZA leaders are pressing the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to submit a court application as the 48 hours time limit has now expired that they are legally allowed to be held.

UPDATE : 15th FEBRUARY 2006 – Evening Update

Police in Harare continue to give lawyers the run-around regarding the charges against the women in custody. The Attorney General’s office is alleged to have dissuaded the state from proceeding with charges under POSA; so police have switched charges to Section 7 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act (MOA) – public nuisance/disturbing the peace charges. As the government has no money to feed prisoners, WOZA has had to buy food for those arrested. The women have been denied this food all day however and at 8pm still had not been given their lunch or supper. Their strategy is to pressure the women into paying admission of guilt fines to get out of the deplorable conditions. Finally the mothers with babies were permitted to pay fines and were released, whilst the rest look to another night in detention.

Part of the reason for overcrowding in the cells was because police had launched Operation Valentine. Details can be found on swradioafrica’s website. Please find link below:

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news140206/operationvalentine140206.htm

WOZA NEWS UPDATE: 15th FEBRUARY 2006

BULAWAYO

Finally at about 6 pm all the babies, men and women were released from Bulawayo Central Police station. At least 80 houses were visited by police officers to verify that those being released resided there. This over-the-top intimidation was in defiance of prosecution ruling that police were to release all those in custody since 13 Feb and proceed by way of summons. This intimidatatory order came directly from one Chief Inspector Martin Matira who was obviously retaliating because he had failed to get the court to open a docket. The 179 still in custody after Williams, Mahlangu and Mpofu were released from court were made to stand in the hot sun from 11 am to 2pm waiting being marched the 3 city blocks to Tredgold Court. They were only allowed to go into the shade at 2 pm when police were preparing to drive to their homes to verify addresses.

HARARE

It is still difficult to ascertain how many women are in custody at Harare Central police station. Estimates vary from police officer to officer but estimates are between 242 to 300. They women were kept in an open courtyard last night and moved to a large hall on the third floor of the station this morning. They are overcrowded and Williams and Mahlangu witnessed three women being revived as they had fainted in the detention room foyer. As of this morning the legal team was unable to determine charges and were pressing for progress and also trying to obtain an opinion from the attorney generals office. Law and Order officers were recommending that all the women be charged under section of the Public Order Security Act (POSA). Police are trying to press the women to pay admission of guilt fines of $ 25 000 Zimbabwe dollars but WOZA is determined that they have committed no wrong. By 4 pm today the Lawyers confirm that we should expect them to stay in for second night but under POSA they cannot be help for more than 48 hours without being charged.

WOZA NEWS UPDATE : 14th FEBRUARY 2006

Contrary to early estimates, 181 WOZA women and male members were arrested yesterday along with 14 babies. They were held at Bulawayo Central and due to flooded cells, the group were kept in a cage outside in the courtyard with only standing room until 10.30pm in heavy rain. Three women, Jenni Williams, Magodonga Mahlangu and Emily Mpofu, were taken aside, fingerprinted, made to give statements, despite their protestations that they wanted their lawyer present, and charged under Section 24 of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA). The three women were taken to court in the late morning where the prosecutor refused to allow them to appear before court, instructing the police to release them and proceed by way of summons. The other 177 women and men, including babies, are still being held at Bulawayo Central out in the open. Lawyers are trying to secure their release.

Early reports also suggest that a WOZA march in Harare, which took place at lunchtime today, continued for several blocks before being broken up by police and arrests were made. At least seven vehicles were used to transport those arrested and a lawyer attending at the scene was handcuffed. Lawyers are in attendance.

Further details will be given as soon as they become available.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, WOZA, protest, action, non-violent action, peace, women, human rights, violence, police, Valentine’s Day, Valentine

This entry was posted by Sokwanele on Friday, February 17th, 2006 at 3:30 pm. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.