gathered at the meeting that it was illegal to hold the meeting under POSA and that all those present should leave or immediately face arrest.104 Not all the marches were connected to the elections. In a clear example of general restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly, police arrested fifty-three women including members of the women’s organization, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) in Bulawayo on February 12. The women were marching to commemorate Valentine’s Day when police disrupted the march. The police proceeded to arrest any women wearing red (a color the WOZA women wear to symbolize love).105 Eight of the women were released on the same day without charge, while the rest of the women were released on February 15 and made to pay admission of guilt fines under MOA.106 As Human Rights Watch has previously reported, adoption of the pending NGO Bill would substantially add to existing restrictions on the rights to freedom of movement, association and assembly. The Bill denies local organizations involved in “issues of governance” and human rights work access to foreign funding and prohibits the registration of foreign NGOs engaged in “issues of governance” and human rights work.107 Human rights organizations interviewed by Human Rights Watch, expressed concern that the new law would force them to curtail their activities. Although the bill is yet to be signed into law, NGO representatives believe its promulgation is already making it difficult for human rights organizations to engage in election related human rights activities, including voter education. As one NGO representative observed, “It is alarming that even though its not law, it’s had the effect it would have had if it was law. Robert Mugabe doesn’t need to sign the bill into law, its having its effect. Right now civil society can’t do voter education.”108 A number of human rights organizations claimed that they had been forced to scale down their work in the run-up to the elections, while a couple of NGOs reported that they had received threats from the police that they would be shut down once the NGO bill became an Act.109 The intimidation and harassment of NGOs has implications for the level of citizen participation in the elections. 104 Ibid. 105 Human Rights Watch interview with the women’s lawyers, Bulawayo, February 13, 2005. 106 Human Rights Watch telephone interview with Jenny Williams of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, London, March 3, 2005. 107 See Human Rights Watch briefing paper, “Zimbabwe’s Non-Governmental organizations bill: Out of synch with SADC standards and a threat to civil society groups,” December, 2004. 108 Human Rights Watch interview, Bulawayo, February 11, 2005. 109 Human Rights Watch interviews with NGO representatives in Harare and Bulawayo, December 2004 and February 2005. 24