Forty-eight women including Jenni Williams, director of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), went on trial for violating the Public Order and Security Act.
The women were accused of failing to notify the police that they would be carrying out a demonstration.
Perpetua Dube who was representing the women said no magistrate wanted to hear the case because putting dozens of women in jail would not be seemly but neither did any magistrate want to be seen as being lenient towards a group that was so critical of the government.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 04HARARE1179, GOVERNMENT PRESSES WOMEN’S ACTIVIST GROUP
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190828Z Jul 04
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001179
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR LAROIAN, MRAYNOR
AF/PD FOR D. FOLEY, C. DALTON
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVELLE, D. TEITELBAUM
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY
PARIS FOR C. NEARY
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER
DS/OP/AF
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2009
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT PRESSES WOMEN’S ACTIVIST GROUP
Classified By: Political Officer Bianca Menendez for reason 1.5 d
¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise! (WOZA), a
group that demonstrates against human rights abuses and
particularly against the Public Order and Security Act
(POSA), are on trial for violating POSA. The trial was
continued after two successive court dates in June for lack
of a magistrate, reportedly because no magistrate wished to
go on record as either convicting or acquitting these vocal
activitists. On July 12, a magistrate appeared but continued
the trial to August 19 to give the state more time to prepare
its case. The advocate for the group had a positive outlook
on the case. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) 48 women are on trial in Bulawayo for participating in
a demonstration against POSA on July 24, 2003. According to
the outline of the state,s case, they have been charged
under POSA for failing to notify the regulating authority
that the demonstration would take place. Although members of
the group have been arrested several times, this will be the
first time a trial will actually take place. According to
group founder Jenni Williams, who is included among the
accused, after past arrests all charges have been dropped.
The maximum possible sentence under the current charge is a
fine of 50,000 Zimbabwean dollars (about 9 US dollars) and 10
years in prison.
¶3. (C) An advocate from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights,
Perpetua Dube, is representing the women. According to Dube,
no magistrate wants to hear this case because putting dozens
of women in jail would not be seemly but neither does any
magistrate want to be seen as being lenient toward a group
that is so critical of the government. Dube said that the
state was attempting to separate Williams,s case from that
of the other women and dropping the latter case to avoid the
embarrassment of trying all the women together. Dube also
said she believed that imprisoning Williams was seen as the
key to disabling the organization because she is the chief
organizer of a group of largely rural women with few
resources.
¶4. (C) On July 12th, the trial began with Magistrate John
Masimba presiding. One of the key points in the defense
outline was that the state charged the women under the wrong
section of POSA. According to Williams, the magistrate was
curt with the prosecutor over a failure to submit a new state
outline with the correct charge but said that he did not want
to throw the case out on a technicality. He continued the
trial to August 19 to give the state time to prepare a new
outline. Williams said that, based on comments made by the
magistrate, Dube believes either the case will be dismissed
or the women will be acquitted. The magistrate dismissed a
second and more serious charge that had been filed against
only Williams, for organizing an illegal event.
¶5. (C) Also on July 12, the police raided WOZA,s safe house
in Bulawayo and took some promotional items. The house,s
caretaker had disappeared, but Williams said it was possible
the caretaker was hiding from the police.
¶6. (C) COMMENT: A long, drawn out trial and raids on office
space are typical intimidation tactics used by the government
against organizations like WOZA that are seen as enemies of
the state. The organization enjoys a broad membership base,
but it is vulnerable due to the thinness of energetic
leadership and limited monetary and organizational resources
to further the group,s aims. If the government succeeds in
curtailing the activities of Williams or other key members,
WOZA,s activis
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