Women activists detained in Zimbabwe prison

updated 10:05 p.m. ET July 2, 2008

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Two women honored by the United States, Amnesty International and others for braving beatings and arrest to hold peaceful protests against Robert Mugabe are entering their sixth week in detention, putting them among Zimbabwe's longest-serving political prisoners.

At a hearing Thursday, lawyers hope to persuade a judge to grant bail to Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu of the human rights group Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise, who have sleeping on concrete floors in the harsh cold of a southern African winter in detention. The two were arrested in the capital, Harare, on May 28 and have been charged with disturbing the peace and publishing statements prejudicial to the state.

In her blog on the Internet, fellow activist Bev Clark describes visiting Williams and Mahlangu in prison on Friday, the day of a presidential runoff election in which Mugabe — Zimbabwe's increasingly autocratic president of nearly three decades — was the only candidate.

She and other colleagues took the women food and toiletries. A jar of honey was confiscated by a guard.

"For 30 minutes, we sat on a small wooden bench chatting with them through a fence," Clark writes. "They are both well and in good spirits but they've had enough of sleeping on a concrete floor. They want to go home."

Williams, one of the founders of the organization and a former businesswoman, was honored last year by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with an International Women of Courage Award.

The U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, said Wednesday he hoped the two would be given bail and the "sham" charges dropped.

"Jenni is a prominent person whose voice should be heard," McGee said.

'Prisoners of conscience'
Amnesty International, which gave the group known as WOZA an award for its human rights work, demanded the women's immediate release, calling them "prisoners of conscience."

The two women were arrested with 12 other activists after they marched to the Zambian Embassy to call on Zambia, chair of the Southern African Development Community, to help bring an end to the violence that has engulfed Zimbabwe since a first round of presidential elections was held March 29.

Some marchers were beaten by police as they were arrested. The state won an appeal against bail being granted to Williams and Mahlangu, but the 10 others were released on bail.

"We are deeply concerned that the state is using detention to frustrate the work of human right defenders," said Simeon Mawanza, London-based researcher for Amnesty International.

Human rights activists and opposition supporters have increasingly come under attack by Zimbabwe security forces and supporters of Mugabe.

MORE FROM AFRICA

Africa Section Front

NYT: Fears rise over al-Qaida branch Rape culture condemned in South Africa Ghana goes ga-ga for Obama The Grio: Politics behind Obama's Ghana visit Somali pirates board Turkish ship Africa Section Front   Add Africa headlines to your news reader: