Harassment of human rights defenders in Zimbabwe intensifies

On 25 October, five members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested following a peaceful march to protest against the illegal eviction of more than 60 residents in a housing premise in Bulawayo. Faina Maphosa, Maria Moyo, Samkeliso Sibanda, Senie Dube and Thalitha Mtendesi are the most recent human rights defenders to bear the brunt of the Zimbabwean governments intense crackdown on dissidents.

Reports claim that the women marched into the housing premise and distributed leaflets highlighting their grievances with the Zimbabwean authorities. The women were allegedly harassed by officers and subjected to degrading treatment whilst spending the night at Mzilikazi and Sauerstown police stations. The women were released on bail on 27 October 2006. They are due to appear in court on 10 November charged under Chapter 46, Section 2, (v) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The charges have been dropped against Maria Moyo.

WOZA promotes non-violent principles to protest against the Zimbabwean government’s human rights violations. Their mission is to empower Zimbabwean women with knowledge and skills designed to stimulate courageous activities within the community. WOZA members are repeatedly subjected to arbitrary arrest, intimidation, harassment and ill treatment by police officers.

Front Line is deeply concerned about the unrelenting harassment of WOZA members and the actions taken by the authorities to prevent them from carrying out their legitimate human rights activities. Front Line reminds the authorities of WOZA members right to freedom of opinion and expression without fear of reprisal, as enshrined in Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.