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WOZA women arrested and assaulted by police
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
November 29, 2006

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), informs that more than 60 women from the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested this afternoon by police in the City of Bulawayo. This was after the WOZA women held a demonstration in the city center. The ZLHR Rapid Reaction Unit responded and deployed ZLHR lawyer, Advocate Perpetua Dube to deal with the matter. Reports recently received by ZLHR indicate that the police responded with a heavy hand in dealing with the women wherein they have and continue to use brute force against the defenseless women, the majority of whom have babies strapped on their backs. One of the women assaulted by the police suffered a badly fractured leg and a deep cut on her eyebrow as well as several bruises on her body. ZLHR is making frantic efforts to facilitate her access to medical attention.

ZLHR continues to note with dismay the harassment of women human rights defenders in Zimbabwe. The use of brute force against the women HRDs is severely condemned as barbaric, unconstitutional and a violation of fundamental human rights. The continued violation of human rights by the police in Zimbabwe at every opportunity has become a matter of perpetual concern. ZLHR calls upon the government of Zimbabwe and the police to respect the rights of people and treat them with dignity. ZLHR also takes this opportunity to remind the government of Zimbabwe of their obligations to the various human rights treaties that they have signed, of note the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR).

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