Front Line is concerned following reports that two members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Ms Roselyn Hanzi and Mr Tawanda Zhuwarara, and eight members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested on 10 February 2009 by unidentified members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). Roselyn Hanzi and Tawanda Zhuwarara are project lawyers with ZLHR.

Further Information

The eight members of WOZA arrested are: Ms Nelia Hambarume, Ms Clara Bongwe, Ms Auxilia Tarumbwa, Ms Gracy Mutambachirimo, Ms Linda Moyo, Ms Keure Chikomo, Ms Edina Saidi, and Ms Kundai Mupfukudzwa.

On 10 February 2009, unidentified members of the ZRP arrested eight members of WOZA following a peaceful demonstration organised by WOZA outside the Parliament building in Harare.On their way back to their office, which is next to the Parliament building, Roselyn Hanzi and Tawanda Zhuwarara were also arrested by unidentified members of the ZRP. Both were detained in the Parliament Guard Room before being moved to Harare Central police station.

Lawyers were not allowed access to them and were ordered out of the premises of the police station by Superintendent Chinhengo. Roselyn Hanzi and Tawanda Zhuwarara were detained overnight without being told what the reason of their arrest was, despite ZLHR's attempts to have them released.

On 11 February 2009, they were allowed access to ZLHR lawyers. Members of the Law and Order section acknowledged that Roselyn Hanzi and Tawanda Zhuwarara had been “caught in the crossfire” of the arrests of demonstrators. Nevertheless, Detective Assistant Inspector Phiri and DC Musadema were still instructed by Detective Inspector Elliot Muchada to charge them, as well as the eight members of WOZA who had been arrested outside Parliament, under section 37 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Front Line believes that the arrest and detention of the aforementioned members of ZLHR and WOZA is directly related to their work in the defence of human rights. Front Line is concerned that this forms part of an ongoing trend of harassment by the ZRP against human rights defenders in Zimbabwe, especially against those wishing to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully.