WOZA ACTIVISTS RELEASED ON BAIL

UNCLAS HARARE 000592 SIPDIS AF/S FOR S. HILL ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM KDEM ZI SUBJECT: WOZA ACTIVISTS RELEASED ON BAIL REF: HARARE 479 ¶1. (U) In their July 3 hearing, Women of Zimbabwe Arise! (WOZA) activists Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu were granted bail after having spent 33 nights in jail. Williams received Secretary Rice's Women of Courage award for Africa in 2007. After the judge exited the courtroom, Williams hugged the female prison guard next to her and the WOZA member-filled courtroom burst into applause. The trial date is set for July 29. -------------- Background -------------- ¶2. (U) On May 30, 13 members of WOZA and one member of Men of Zimbabwe Arise! (MOZA) were arrested during a peaceful protest in downtown Harare. At their initial bail hearing on May 31, all 14 were denied bail. When the case went to the high court on June 13, Justice Ben Hlatshwayo granted bail to 12 members but found that Williams and Mahlangu were at risk of causing "Kenya-style" violence during the June 27 presidential election. Given that the election has now passed, Williams' and Mahlangu's lawyer again applied for bail on July 3 on the basis that circumstances had changed. The bail in this second hearing was granted. All 14 have to report to the local police station every Monday and Friday until their trial date on July 29. ¶3. (SBU) Poloff spoke with the 12 WOZA members who had been granted bail on June 13. They were very grateful for Ambassador McGee's attempt to visit Williams and Mahlangu at Chikurubi Women's Prison on July 1. The Ambassador and poloff were denied entrance to the prison because they had not been granted permission by the Zimbabwean Prison Service (ZPS). Even though the Ambassador and poloff were not allowed in the prison, they appreciated the continue support of the USG and broader diplomatic community. (NOTE: the Spanish Charge d'affaires and British poloff were allowed to visit on June 18, despite not having permission from the ZPS. END NOTE.). Post will continue to monitor the case. McGee