Women protesting against the NGO Bill arrested

A group of Zimbabwean women were arrested in Harare on Wednesday after marching 440 km to the capital to protest a controversial bill. The drum-beating members of the rights group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), left Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, a fortnight ago with the aim of presenting a petition to parliament against the NGO Bill, to be enacted next month. The proposed bill will ban foreign human rights groups and cut off funding to local NGOs promoting rights and democracy. On Tuesday 52 women members of the march were arrested 59 km outside the capital. The remaining marcher, WOZA spokesperson Jenny Williams, was joined by eight other women activists as she arrived in Harare on Wednesday morning. The nine women, including Williams and a four-month-old baby, were taken into custody on conclusion of the march in African Unity square in Harare. The Associated Press news agency quoted Zimbabwean police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena as saying that the women arrested on Tuesday faced charges under security laws requiring police clearance to hold political gatherings. The charges carry a penalty of up to six months in jail. Bvudzijena said the women marchers told police they were church members on a sponsored walk to raise funds for charity. However, as they approached Harare they were found to be in possession of political materials. WOZA argues that, should the bill be passed in its current form, it "will have struck at the lives and very survival of women and their families who are beneficiaries of donor food and have HIV/AIDS orphans to care for". The proposed bill, which replaces the Private Voluntary Organisations Act, requires all NGOs to register with a government-appointed regulatory council.