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New charge for Zimbabwe opposition leader - "We are charging him with treason"

Posted on 06/06/2003 9:56:08 AM PDT by Clive

"We are charging him with treason"

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, will be charged with treason following his arrest in a widespread crackdown on anti-government protests, a police spokesman said.

"We picked him up in connection with the many statements he has been making since the presidential elections. We are charging him with treason," Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said.

Mr Tsvangirai is already on trial for treason in connection with an alleged plot to kill President Robert Mugabe.

He was arrested after his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) held a week of protests and work boycotts to demand that Mr Mugabe step down.

ITV News reporter Tim Ewart - in Johannesburg - said of the arrest: "This does indicate just how hard the Zimbabwean authorities want to crack down on any sign of opposition from Mr Tsvangirai's MDC."

Mr Tsvangirai was briefly detained on Monday, and government lawyers are now seeking a court order to ban him from making "inflammatory" comments or inciting the public.

Friday marked the final day of a five-day campaign of protests by the MDC which the government has declared illegal. On Friday, thousands of young men wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the words "No to Mass Action" took up positions in central Harare, apparently to discourage any attempts by MDC protesters to take to the streets.

In outlying townships, more young militia members patrolled the streets in support of Mr Mugabe's Zanu PF party. With both police and militia members packing the streets of the capital, many shops and banks were closed and there was no sign of the planned opposition demonstration.

In his news conference, Mr Tsvangirai conceded the crushing response to the protest drive - which began on Monday when riot police used tear gas and rifle butts to disperse protests in several places around the country - had left MDC supporters "reluctant" to stage open demonstrations.

But he said the party's week-long drive to boost pressure on Mr Mugabe had been an overwhelming success, and vowed that the opposition would continue to protest against a leader they accuse of both political repression and economic mismanagement.

"From now onwards we will embark on rolling mass action at strategic times of our choice, and without any warning to the dictatorship. The Mugabe dictatorship will never be allowed again to trample on people's rights with impunity," Mr Tsvangirai said.

Mr Tsvangirai, who is on trial for allegedly contracting to have Mr Mugabe killed, has challenged Zimbabwe's 2002 election in polls widely decried as fraudulent.

The 79-year-old leader - in power since independence from Britain in 1980 - says he is being targeted by Western powers and their local proxies angry over his policy of seizing white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks.

The MDC has reported hundreds of arrests and beatings during this week's protests.

After Monday's crackdown, the opposition turned to a widespread work boycott that Harare business owners said was costing millions of dollars.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: africawatch; zimbabwe

1 posted on 06/06/2003 9:56:08 AM PDT by Clive
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To: *AfricaWatch; blam; Cincinatus' Wife; sarcasm; Travis McGee; happygrl; Byron_the_Aussie; robnoel; ..
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2 posted on 06/06/2003 9:56:31 AM PDT by Clive
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To: Clive
"After Monday's crackdown, the opposition turned to a widespread work boycott that Harare business owners said was costing millions of dollars."

Good work... stayaways may just turn the tide.


3 posted on 06/06/2003 9:58:42 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife (Lurking since 2000.)
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To: Clive
Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, will be charged with treason following his arrest in a widespread crackdown on anti-government protests, a police spokesman said.

They already had Tsvangirai once on a treason trial. May God protect him.

4 posted on 06/06/2003 10:05:08 AM PDT by xJones
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To: Clive
***"From now onwards we will embark on rolling mass action at strategic times of our choice, and without any warning to the dictatorship. The Mugabe dictatorship will never be allowed again to trample on people's rights with impunity," Mr Tsvangirai said. ***
5 posted on 06/06/2003 12:03:39 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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