arrests, harassment, intimidation and physical assaults despite the rendering of a judgment by the Supreme Court in 2010, which stated that the rights of WOZA members had been violated, when the State arrested, detained, and prosecuted them for engaging in peaceful protest through public demonstrations. It was expected that after this judicial pronouncement, authorities would cease the persecution of WOZA, but authorities continued with the harassment of WOZA members, charging them under various sections of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for offences ranging from disturbing the peace to criminal nuisance and bizarrely kidnapping among other provisions of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. On 19 November, 2013, WOZA received formal notification from the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) that their communication had been accepted during the 14th Extraordinary Session held from July 20–24, 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya. By accepting the communication, the ACHPR requested that the Zimbabwean government respond to the rights violations included in the document. On 19 April 2013, The Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Justice& Human Rights (RFK Center), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), and the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (NGO Forum) hosted a gathering of over 50 of Africa’s top human rights advocates in Banjul, The Gambia to discuss the current shrinking space for civil society in Zimbabwe. The event, held on the side-lines of the NGO Forum in advance of the session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), convened a expert panel that included Dzimbabwe Chimbga (ZLHR), Susan Mutambasere (NGO Forum), Mabassa Fall (International Federation for Human Rights, FIDH), Hassan Shire (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network), and Wade McMullen (RFK Center). Wade McMullen, Staff Attorney for the RFK Center, expressed deep concerns regarding the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly as Zimbabwe cracked down on any group seemingly critical of the government. Moreover Zimbabwe had banned shortwave radios and suppressed the rights of groups such as Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) to engage in peaceful protest and public demonstration. “There is a clear pattern of violation of these fundamental rights protected by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international treaties,” McMullen said, “In turn, this pattern of suppression imperils the rights of all Zimbabweans to participate freely in the government of their country.” Several key issues were brought to the fore in the ensuing discussion, including the need for solidarity across the African continent and international community in advance of the impending elections in Zimbabwe. In response, pledges of solidarity, information sharing, and technical support came from across the region, including from human rights advocates in Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, and Uganda. In particular, the discussion highlighted the need of SADC to both monitor and ensure that Zimbabwe’s electoral environment would be free and fair during the months leading up to the vote. On 18 March Zimbabwe, The African Lawyers for the Defense of Civil Society Network called for the immediate release of Beatrice Mtetwa who was unlawfully arrested and detained on the 17th March 2013 in Harare, a few hours after the constitutional referendum. The African Lawyers for the Defense of Civil Society Network stood in solidarity with Beatrice Mtetwa, her lawyers, and others calling for a stand against the intimidation and harassment of human rights lawyers and underscores the right of these lawyers to carry out their professional duties without hindrance, vilification and degradation. In March 2013, the ACHPR passed a provisional measure allowing exiled Zimbabweans and those living abroad to vote in the Referendum slated for Saturday 16 March 2013 and the general elections scheduled thereafter. The ACHPR ordered the government to allow Zimbabweans living abroad to vote in the March 16 Referendum and the general elections that will follow, irrespective of whether or not they are in the service of the government. 61