34 In Their Capacity as Human Rights Defenders: Women was arrested, either on that date or subsequently – once again highlighting the harassment faced by such organisations. On 8 March 2013, barely a month after the previous incident of harassment arose, police summoned Mukoko to Harare Central Police Station where she was charged with contravening the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Act, by managing an “unregistered” organisation. Police also charged her with further counts of contravening the Customs and Excise Act for allegedly smuggling solar-powered radios into the country, and with violating the Broadcasting Services Act by allegedly refusing or failing to register as a dealer. After recording a warned and cautioned statement in the presence of her legal team, Mukoko was released into the custody of her ZLHR lawyers and the police indicated that they would advise of any further action after assessing the docket. It is interesting to note that the police did not use orthodox methods of summoning her. The Commissioner-General of Police issued an announcement through radio and on television that Mukoko was a wanted person who the police were looking for, in relation to allegations of running an unregistered organisation. Such tactics, after her traumatising abduction, were meant to instil fear in Mukoko. The intensity and persistence of harassment of women HRDs in leadership positions cannot be compared with that of their male counterparts. Apart from the violence inflicted by state actors, harassment of women HRDs can come from within their own sector or even within their organisations. The media has also been used as a tool to amplify patriarchal stereotypes and sometimes simply to demean the character and work of women HRDs. Numerous negative articles and opinion pieces have been written against women who assert their participation rights. The articles aim to assassinate the character of the women and to demobilise and discourage them from continuing with their important work. These articles have, at times, been highly inflammatory and in most cases have been published by state controlled media outlets. As previously noted, on 7 March 2013 there was an article in the publicly owned but state-controlled Herald newspaper indicating that ZPP Director, Jestina Mukoko, was on the run. Other than sensationalising the actual situation, this was a threat to Mukoko’s safety as she was presented as a criminal who was actually running away from police, yet she had not even been advised to appear at the police station.39 When she did present herself the following day at the police station with her lawyer, The Herald published an article that falsely reported that she was facing charges of espionage and she had handed herself over to the police.40 No attempts were made to correct the distortions or update the story. Women HRDs have nevertheless continued to carry out their legitimate activities even in light of this repression. Indeed, they remain resilient and continue with their business as usual, even in the face of such persistent harassment from state and sometimes non-state actors. Razemba F “Mukoko on the run” The Herald 7 March 2013 available at http://www.herald. co.zw/mukoko-onthe-run/ [Last accessed 2 March 2015]. 39 40 Razemba F “Jestina Mukoko turns self in” The Herald 8 March 2013 available at <http://www.herald. co.zw/jestina-mukoko-turns-self-in/> [Last accessed 2 March 2015].