Police in Zimbabwe on Wednesday arrested seven members of a pressure group, Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), which staged a peaceful demonstration in the streets of Bulawayo, a WOZA press communiqué revealed on Wednesday. WOZA, a civil society group in Zimbabwe, organized the protest “to call for an end to the politically motivated violence that has left more than 20 people dead in the last few weeks.” The press communiqué also decried an alleged brutality by members of Zimbabwe police. “Ironically, our peaceful protestors were met with brutal violence by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP),” the communiqué said. According to WOZA, the police beat its members indiscriminately and also deliberately drove a vehicle into the back of the crowd injuring many protesters. Amongst those injured was Jenni Williams, who was said to have been beaten with a baton. To WOZA members, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was the candidate who secur ed the highest number of votes, and there should not be any “run-off which would only result in more violence”.
