63 WOZA demonstrators in court victory

63 WOZA demonstrators in court victory

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By Staff Reporter

A ZIMBABWEAN court has dismissed charges against 63 women protestors arrested six months ago for staging a demonstration against biting economic hardships, a statement said on Tuesday.

Rights group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) said it had won a significant victory after a magistrate ruled the 63 not guilty of charges of breaching the peace or making a public nuisance when they held a Valentines Day march in the capital.

The 63 women were among around 200 Woza members who staged a peaceful bread and roses demonstration in central Harare on February 14, calling for the right to be able to afford basic necessities like food as well as the good things in life like flowers.

The group said its protest was inspired by a strike held by women textile workers in the US in 1912 to press for higher wages.

Police in Harare arrested the women and detained them for four days. They refused to pay fines for "acting in a manner which is likely to lead to a breach of the peace."

Instead, they went to court for a 14-day trial that ended with a not guilty verdict on Monday, a Woza statement said.

The magistrate found that no member of the public had testified as to a breach of their peace or that giving roses and singing was a nuisance, the statement said.

The police did not use reasonable doubt in the manner of arrest and provided no evidence to incriminate the accused, the magistrate was quoted as saying.

Woza holds regular anti-government demonstrations in Harare and the second city of Bulawayo to protest worsening social and economic hardships.

Zimbabwe is grappling with high levels of unemployment and poverty, as well as inflation at close to 1 000 percent. - Sapa-dpa
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