Zimbabwean activists Cecillia Chimbiri and Joanah Mamombe were arrested and abducted in 2020 following a peaceful protest about the government’s failure to provide social protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were arbitrarily arrested following the protest in Harare, taken to a police station, and forcibly driven out of the city to a place where they were beaten and sexually assaulted.
While still hospitalised, they were charged with offences related to the protest and later charged with faking their ordeal.
As part of our Write for Rights campaign in 2022, supporters like you took action to demand justice. In July 2023, Joanah and Cecillia were finally acquitted.
“Thank you so much to our Amnesty International friends for writing all these letters. We are now beginning our journey to heal.” - Joanah Mamombe