28 June 2011

Zimbabwe - Suspected poisoning and planting at property of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)

Members of *Women of Zimbabwe Arise* (WOZA) were rushed to hospital with symptoms of poisoning following a visit to a property used for WOZA meetings in Suburbs, Bulawayo on 22 June 2011. The property had been vacated the previous day by the Zimbabwe Republic Police under the terms of an order of the High Court of Bulawayo of 20 June 2011, after a 12-day occupation. The premises were found damaged, some items were missing and suspicious articles planted inside the house and in a vehicle parked in the yard. WOZA is a women's rights organisation with a country-wide membership of over 75,000 men and women.

Police officers left the premises at approximately 5:30 pm on 21 June 2011. Members of WOZA entered the house soon after to verify the state of the property and to remove a pick-up truck that had been left in the yard during the police occupation. When the WOZA members entered the house they were reportedly overcome by a pungent smell of chemicals and three of them immediately felt dizzy and nauseous. They decided to leave the premises and parked the pick-up in a safe place.

The next day, 22 June 2011, they went back into the house. However they reported feeling unwell again and at approximately 11 am eight members of WOZA were brought to hospital with dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea and fainting. All human rights defenders have now been discharged from hospital and a letter of complaint has been sent to the police and the court.

Police officials had occupied the premises since breaking in on 10 June, without producing any warrant. A High Court order of 20 June 2011 ordered the police to vacate the premises and to “ensure that nothing is removed from the property without due process”. Despite the terms of the court order, WOZA reported that some documents and two mobile phones were missing from the premises and cards which Amnesty International members had sent to WOZA were removed from their envelopes and replaced with condoms. It is reported that there was black ash all over the lounge floor as though something had been put up the chimney. A document entitled “Main Agenda” had been planted in various locations around the property. Furthermore, on examination of the pick-up truck, the human rights defenders discovered two 38 mm bullets and a metal object looking like a bearing planted inside.

A week earlier, upon being served a copy of the High Court application on 14 June 2011, a police officer who had been named in a WOZA statement complained about this to a representative of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, who is assisting WOZA in the court proceedings, and threatened that he now had to “deal personally with [Jenni] Williams”. Ms Jenni Williams is WOZA National Coordinator.

A few days after vacating WOZA premises, on 24 June, police attempted to serve a summons to Jenni Williams. The summons reportedly related to events dating back to 2008. WOZA fears that a new court case may be opened against them.

Members of WOZA have been subjected to harassment, threats, beatings, arrests and trials since its foundation in 2003. Jenni Williams has been particularly singled out as target of threats and arrest. She was the subject of previous Front Line appeals including on 22 September 2010 following her arrest. Front Line believes that the suspected chemical planting and disturbances at the premises used by WOZA are directly related to the organisation's work in defence of human rights. Front Line is seriously concerned for the physical integrity of the WOZA members who were exposed to the unknown substance found after the police vacated the premises.

Front Line urges the authorities in Zimbabwe to:

1. Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the events occurred at the premises used by WOZA in Suburbs, including the de facto seizure of the premises by the police in the absence of any warrant and the modalities of their release on 21 and 22 June 2011, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;
   
   
2. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of the members of WOZA;
   
   
3. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Zimbabwe are able to  carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.