{"id":1734,"date":"2018-04-03T07:40:55","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T07:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wozazim.org\/?p=1734"},"modified":"2018-04-03T07:50:59","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T07:50:59","slug":"woza-and-moza-members-arrested-in-harare-may-28-still-in-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/?p=1734","title":{"rendered":"WOZA and MOZA members arrested in Harare May 28 still in custody"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

\"value_our_lives_080528_200\u00c3\u2014307.jpg\"A demonstration by WOZA and MOZA members in Harare on Wednesday May 28 resulted in the arrest of 13 women and 1 man, all of whom remain in custody up to today, Monday June 2.\u00c2\u00a0 The demonstration was held to commemorate Africa Day, mourning the lack of anything to celebrate,\u00c2\u00a0 and to protest against the political violence being perpetrated in the weeks leading up to the Presidential run-off election of June 27.<\/p>\n

Approximately 200 members were stopped by the police as they marched in the street in central Harare carrying placards and distributing flyers.\u00c2\u00a0 Specific members were targeted for arrest, including Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu.\u00c2\u00a0 Three were assaulted during interrogation, but they were not seriously injured.\u00c2\u00a0 All were first brought to court on Friday afternoon, several hours after the 48 hour limit, where they were remanded until the following day to make a bail application.\u00c2\u00a0 On Saturday they were granted bail by the magistrate, Rusinahama.\u00c2\u00a0 Jenni Williams\u2019 bail was set at $10,000,000,000 ($US20) and for the other 13 at $5,000,000,000 ($US10).\u00c2\u00a0 All were also to turn in their passports.\u00c2\u00a0 However, the prosecutor then announced that the state would appeal against bail, so all 14 were remanded in custody until June 6, 2008.\u00c2\u00a0 While the single man is being held at Harare Remand prison, the ladies are all at the women\u2019s remand section of Chikurubi.<\/p>\n

All 14 have been charged under s 37 1c (ii) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act (formerly part of the Public Order and Security Act) \u2013 \u201cParticipating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breach of the peace or bigotry\u201d.\u00c2\u00a0 This offence involves \u201cacting with one or more others,\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. intending or realizing that there is a risk of forcibly disturbing the peace, security or order of the public\u201d.\u00c2\u00a0 Some of those arrested were not participating in the demonstration, but were arrested at gun point while inside a vehicle. They included the driver of the vehicle.\u00c2\u00a0 The vehicle was seized.<\/p>\n

Jenni also has two other charges under the same Act:\u00c2\u00a0 s 30\u00c2\u00a0 \u2013 \u201cCausing disaffection among the Police Force or Defence Forces\u201d.\u00c2\u00a0 This charge was leveled as a result of one paragraph of the flyer which was being distributed by the demonstrators.\u00c2\u00a0 This paragraph was addressed to the uniformed forces and included the following words:\u00c2\u00a0 \u201cWe ask them to respect that Zimbabweans have voted for change and refrain from being used to perpetrate violence and to carry out injustices\u201d.\u00c2\u00a0 She is likewise charged under s 31 (a) (i)\u00c2\u00a0 with \u201cPublishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State\u201d.\u00c2\u00a0 This charge apparently relates to a flyer from another organisation of which she had one copy in her handbag; however she has been accused of distributing it as well.<\/p>\n

It will be noted that all of these sections of the Act infringe on Zimbabweans\u2019 basic right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Declaration of Rights in our constitution.\u00c2\u00a0 Similar sections of the notorious Law and Order (Maintenance) Act were previously judged unconstitutional by the Zimbabwean Supreme Court, but they were re-enacted in the Public Order and Security Act.\u00c2\u00a0 The constitutionality of these re-enacted sections has yet to be tested in the courts.<\/p>\n

All of the detained members of WOZA and MOZA are being visited and taken food and are in good spirits and well.\u00c2\u00a0 It is expected that the State\u2019s appeal will be heard before the end of this week, and it is hoped that the appeal will be rejected and the bail conditions\u00c2\u00a0 upheld, so that those currently detained can await further developments out of custody.\u00c2\u00a0 We salute those brave members of WOZA and MOZA who dare to stand up and make public their concerns about the perilous state in which most Zimbabweans are now living.\u00c2\u00a0 May all Zimbabweans be inspired by their actions.<\/p>\n

\t\t \n\t<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A demonstration by WOZA and MOZA members in Harare on Wednesday May 28 resulted in the arrest of 13 women and 1 man, all of whom remain in custody up to today, Monday June 2.\u00c2\u00a0 The demonstration was held to commemorate Africa Day, mourning the lack of anything to celebrate,\u00c2\u00a0 and to protest against … Continue reading WOZA and MOZA members arrested in Harare May 28 still in custody<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1805,"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1734\/revisions\/1805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wozazim.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}