Women in Zimbabwe beaten, arrested

On Wednesday, the Fellowship of Reconciliation received word that women members of our Zimbabwean sister organization (FOR-Zimbabwe) had been arrested and jailed by their government for participating in a peaceful march this Monday, October 27th. The march brought together some 1,000 Zimbabwean women to call on the three major political parties in their nation to resolve their peace talks and move the country forward, but the women were tear-gassed by the police, 100 were reported to have been beaten, and four dozen were arrested. Yesterday, we received a positive update, indicating that this group of jailed women had been released by the police. However, the overall situation is still very bad.

FOR-USA joins other FOR chapters across the world in standing in solidarity with our sisters and their comrades in Zimbabwe, who are seeking a peaceful resolution to the political and economic crisis in their country. The Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe [WCoZ] released this statement:

Women’s Coalition had organized a non-violent and non-partisan action to the delay in concluding the Talks and the widespread food shortages. The theme of the protest was: Conclude the Talks, We are dying of hunger. The latest news update is that WCoZ remains gravely concerned that the SADC Troika Meeting yesterday failed to break the deadlock in Talks. WCoZ will consult its constituency on a way forward in this struggle.

FOR-USA uges our supporters and friends to join us by calling on the Zimbabwean government to take the following three actions:

1. Drop the charges and the fines that have been levied against the more than 40 women who were arrested on Monday.
2. Release the two leaders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) – Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu -- who have been in jail since October 16th and denied bail.
3. Take concrete steps to end intimidation of and violence against nonviolent activists in the country.

FOR-Zimbabwe has worked to train hundreds of local Zimbabweans in the principles of nonviolence so that political elections and organizing can take place. Yet those individuals are being arrested, beaten, and repressed by representatives of the state or their allies.

To raise your voice on this issue, contact one or more of the following Zimbabwean authorities:

• Mr. Khembo Mohadi, Minister of Home Affairs, 11th Floor Mukwati Building, Private Bag 7703, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax : +263 4 726 716 / 707231
• Mr. Patrick Chinamasa, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Fax: + 263 4 77 29 99 / +263 4 252 155
• Mr. Augustine Chihuri, Commissioner General, Police Headquarters, P.O. Box 8807, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax : +263 4 253 212 / 728 768 / 726 084
• Mr. Justice Bharat Patel, Attorney-General, Office of the Attorney, PO Box 7714, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax: + 263 4 77 32 47
• Ambassador Mr. Chitsaka Chipaziwa, Permanent Mission of Zimbabwe to the United Nations in Geneva, Chemin William Barbey 27, 1292 Chambésy, Switzerland, Fax: + 41 22 758 30 44, Email: mission.zimbabwe@ties.itu.net

A South African women's coalition, Building Women's Activism, released a solidarity statement which said:

The solidarity campaign supports the call of Zimbabwean women that all political leaders in SADC [Southern Africa Development Community] exert pressure on Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara [leaders of the three Zimbabwean political parties] and their delegations, to set aside their ‘personal/party’ agendas and power games and put the needs of the Zimbabwean people first. That Zimbabwean leaders must move with haste to put in place mechanisms to provide for the following urgent needs:

1. availability of affordable and accessible food
2. provision of accessible clean water and electricity
3. provision of affordable and accessible health services including ARVs
4. restoration of functional education system
5. easy access to cash in the banks

Please visit the International FOR's Womens Peacemaker Program web site for regular updates and additional information.