From AllAfrica:
Ten WOZA activists arrested over the weekend during a Valentines Day protest in Bulawayo were offered the option to pay admission of guilt fines, in order to be released.
By mid afternoon Tuesday 6 of them had paid the fines but the other 4 refused, insisting they be put on trial instead. Three people from Radio Dialogue, 2 mothers who left breast feeding babies at home and another person who developed a skin rash whilst inside the cells, took the option to pay the fine.
On Saturday the group, along with their male counterparts in Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA), took the streets in the city centre demanding that ‘love light the way’ forward in the political crisis. Although riot police broke up the march and rounded up close to 100 members, many activists were able to slip away to safety, leaving behind the 10 who were eventually taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station.
On Monday the detained activists were denied access to their lawyers and WOZA considered an urgent High Court application demanding their release. This was not possible however as the courts closed early. On Tuesday Jenni Williams told Newsreel the activists were eventually allowed access to their lawyers.
Meanwhile the remaining 4 detained activists have still not been given a chance to appear in court, despite the 48 hour detention period having elapsed on Monday. Williams said the police had by late Tuesday not applied to the courts to have the detention period formally extended. She insisted the women had not committed any offence and the police knew this, which is why they were simply using delaying tactics.
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