VZCZCXRO9545
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0592 1851619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 031619Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3137
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2114
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2234
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0772
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1511
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1869
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2290
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4721
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1380
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

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 
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¶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