12 Amnesty International was told by women human rights defenders that police often accuse them of being "used by the British and American governments to remove the ZANU-PF government". In Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mutare, Chegutu and Harare, human rights defenders complained of being ill-treated by police officials who accused them of being agents of "regime change". This is usually followed by beatings and harassment while in police custody. Amnesty International believes that the government’s allegations against women human rights defenders, aimed at undermining the perceived legitimacy of their struggle for the realization of human rights in Zimbabwe, are in bad faith. Unfounded as such allegations are, they create a climate in which the government feels able to justify abuses against human rights defenders and denial of their right to a remedy where they have suffered violations of their human rights. The government of Zimbabwe is obliged to respect, protect and fulfil the right of women human rights defenders – as of all individuals – to defend their human rights. By accusing them of illegal and violent activities, the government is not only making false accusations against women human rights defenders, it is also failing to acknowledge its role in and responsibility for the human rights violations for which human rights defenders are demanding accountability and redress. The government is isolating itself from accountability. Part of this effort is an attempt to deny direct causal connections between government policies and the deepening of poverty and serious human rights violations in the country. Legitimization of police violence against human rights defenders Amnesty International notes that there have been reported incidents of violence targeted against the police and public property. However, the organization is concerned that the government has used these isolated incidents to justify serious and indiscriminate curtailment of the rights of all human rights defenders. Amnesty International takes very seriously the reported incidents of violence directed at police, and calls for those responsible to be brought to justice through a process in which the rights of accused persons are observed, including their right to a fair trial. However, under no circumstances do incidents of violence by protesters justify excessive use of force, torture and ill-treatment by the police. Amnesty International is concerned that the ZRP, through widely circulated public documents, is manipulating incidents such as road barricades, the stoning of a bus, burning of motor vehicles and alleged petrol bombings of police posts by persons suspected to be opposition supporters, to divert attention away from or even justify, grave human rights violations committed by the police. These include arbitrary arrest, killing of National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) member Gift Tandare,(55) and torture and ill-treatment of human rights defenders during demonstrations and while in police custody. In a report released in March 2007 by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, entitled Opposition forces in Zimbabwe: A trail of violence, the ZRP names the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) – the main opposition party – the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, Women/Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA/MOZA), Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and Christian Alliance as the organizations responsible for what the police termed "a trail of violence". The report argues that these organizations are campaigning "for regime change and overthrow of the democratically elected Government of Zimbabwe" resulting in "a plethora of criminal activities and political violence in the country, especially in Harare, where people have been attacked, buses stoned and cars burned to ashes, police officers seriously injured." The report then outlines some of the activities of these groups which, it claims, confirm these assertions. Yet, for example, the description of the activities of WOZA/MOZA and the ZCTU cited in the report, does not give a single example of a violent incident attributed to these organizations. The activities, of WOZA and the ZCTU – holding meetings, training workshops and peaceful assemblies – described by the police are universally recognized activities of human rights defenders and trade unions. Case studies Women/Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA/MOZA) Reporting on a meeting by WOZA held on 18 January 2007 at the Women Training Bureau in Harare, the ZRP report states: Williams(56) told participants that the economic situation in the country causes poverty, adding that people are living in a state of fear and uncertainty. She said the poor health delivery has created thousands of orphans through HIV/AIDS.