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Valentine's Day arrests - update
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
February 15, 2006

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

Late afternoon Update

• 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.

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.

13th February 2006
Lawyers were denied access to those arrested with claims that they had only just been detained and were still being processed. 15 students that handed themselves in solidarity were released one at a time however. Jenni Williams is back with the rest of the group, which includes 13 babies.

For more information please contact Annie Sibanda on +263 91 898 110/2.

Visit the WOZA fact sheet

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