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Shosholoza
for love march and police thump peaceful members
Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
February 15, 2012
Five hundred
members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) in two separate protests
marched to Parliament
to commemorating Valentine's Day and WOZA 10th Anniversary under
the theme - Shosholoza for love! The first protest arrived and was
stopped 50 meters from the Parliament door by 8 baton stick and
shield wielding Riot Police who refused to allow them to pass.
The activists
took the opportunity to sing their love songs to the police and
chant their slogans. Four leaders took the opportunity to address
the gathering on the constitutional reform requirements of members
and the role police should have been playing instead of stopping
the peaceful activists.
A 20-minute
impasse was broken up by the arrival of a police Landrover. The
second protest arrived and was also blocked. A senior officer then
began to demand the activists disperse and pleas to allow one person
to hand over the Woza Moya newsletter with demands fell on deaf
ears. He then threatened to use 'minimum' force to disperse the
gathering but before he could give any orders, a bigger vehicle
arrived with over 30 riot police who did not speak to the officer
but started to use their shields to push the women and men away
from the road. One officer with the tear gas gun cocked the weapon
in the air making as if to shoot it. As they pushed members away,
some police officers began to beat the peacefully dispersing crowd
and this cause pandemonium and people started to run away at speed.
One of the participants
was beaten by 4 police officers at once taking turns to slay her
across the neck and shoulders. She apparently was being beaten with
this level of severity for telling them -'the thieves are going
free while you beat us'. After they set up her she then told them
off saying - you are now the ones starting violence.
Ten members
had to seek medical attention for soft tissue bruises and lacerations
caused by baton stick injuries.
WOZA call on
the police officers to be more professional. It is illogical to
beat people as they are actually dispersing and a sign that police
officers have too high an appetite for violence. WOZA also wish
to draw comparison between the semi professional behaviour of police
at parliament who go through the motions of engaging protest leaders
whereas in Bulawayo the police offices just jump from their truck
and thump anybody in sight showing a greedy appetite for violence.
On 7th February the Bulawayo edition of the protest was violently
dispersed by police officers and over 30 members had to seek medication
for abrasions and bruises.
An opinion by
Lawyer Andrew Makoni WOZA counsel 2009 on the role of police from
the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).....the legislature
is aware that processions inevitably interfere in some way with
other people's movements, hence the provisions of section 29 (1)
(c) which prescribes what a police officer may do if a regulatory
authority has not received a notice of the intended procession more
than 48 hours before the gathering, where such notice is required.
In terms of this subsection, an officer may restrict the gathering
to a place or guide the participants along a route. This section
does not give the police the power to arrest in the event of an
unlawful gathering but the power to regulate the gathering. Neither
does the act provide police officers with the right to brutally
disperse peaceful human rights defenders.
15th February 2012.
Visit
the WOZA fact
sheet
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