ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe opposition party demands release of detained leader Morgan Tsvangirai

Members of Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's party call for their leader's immediate release following reports that he was beaten in police custody and suffered head injuries. Tsvangirai was arrested on Sunday before an opposition rally. Officials and members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called on Monday (March 12) for the release of its arrested leader Morgan Tsvangirai and said he had been beaten in police custody. Police detained Tsvangirai and dozens of other leading opposition figures on Sunday (March 11) and shot dead a man while dispersing a prayer meeting organised in defiance of a ban on political rallies. "As of now, president Tsvangirai is battling for his life at Borrowdale police station after he was brutally assaulted. He lost consciousness 3 times following the brutal attack at Matshipisa police station," Thokozani Khupe, MDC deputy president, said at a news conference in the capital, Harare. The party said its officials and lawyers had been denied access to Tsvangirai. "Lawyers seeking to represent Mr Tsvangirai and his colleagues were denied access contrary to the provision of the laws of the land," Khupe said. Under Zimbabwe's security laws, police can detain suspects for up to 48 hours before bringing them to court but this can be extended by a magistrate. "We demand an immediate and an unconditional release of the president and all national leaders, an end to police brutality, murder and attempted assassination of our leaders and the general populace," Khupe said. Political tension, which has been growing over the soaring cost of living and President Robert Mugabe's controversial rule, erupted into violence when riot squads fought opposition youths in the capital for the second time in a month. A coalition of opposition, church and civic groups called Sunday's prayer rally to address Zimbabwe's deepening political and economic crisis. The police ordered the organisers to call off the meeting, fearing the MDC was trying to launch a street campaign to oust Mugabe, whom it blames for the country's economic woes. "I would like to warn Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF that no amount of police brutality can either stop or delay the people's march to freedom. Zimbabweans will never give up their right to economic and political freedom," said Khupe. Washington said the crackdown was "brutal and unwarranted". Political analysts say Mugabe's tough action against his opponents have further damaged his reputation abroad, but this is unlikely to persuade the 83-year-old president to change his style. Inflation is more than 1,700 percent, the highest in the world, and unemployment is more than 80 percent. Once a food exporter, Zimbabwe is struggling with chronic food, fuel and foreign exchange shortages. AR/AD

ITN Source | March 13, 2007

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