What has gone wrong in Zimbabwe?
Thématique :
zimbabwe
By Peta Thornycroft, Peter Fabricius and Sapa-AP
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Tendai Biti were both arrested in Zimbabwe on Thursday as President Robert Mugabe's government continued its crackdown on the opposition ahead of the June 27 presidential run-off election.
Police said they would charge Biti with treason which can carry the death penalty.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said the treason charge relates to "a transition document" discussing changing Zimbabwe's government.
Bvudzijena said Biti was in police custody but would not say where. Tsvangirai was arrested in Kwekwe, about 200km southwest of Harare, while campaigning. It was his third arrest in a week.
He was detained for two hours and resumed campaigning after being released.
As before, no charges were laid against him and the MDC believes police are arresting and detaining him just to disrupt his campaign.
The MDC expressed concern on Thursday about the safety of Biti who was arrested at Harare International Airport on his arrival from Johannesburg.
"His whereabouts are still unknown... He was last seen being shoved, with hands handcuffed, into a Mercedes-Benz, registration number AAO 3822," the MDC said.
Biti had been in SA since April and had predicted, in an interview earlier this week, that he would be arrested on his return, as the state-owned Herald newspaper had warned.
According to some sources, Biti had this week been conducting negotiations in SA with representatives of the ruling Zanu-PF party about the possibility of forming a government of national unity to avoid the election.
US Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee said his government was "very, very concerned" about Biti's arrest and word that he would be charged with treason.
He said he had seen the MDC's transition document, describing it as a routine plan any political party would draw up to identify priorities if it were to come to power.
But he said a forged version had circulated that raised issues not contained in the genuine document, including punishing Mugabe hard-liners.
McGee said continuing political violence, Biti's arrest and Tsvangirai's detention left him with little confidence that the run-off will be free and fair.
"But I don't think we have any choice but to move forward with an election," he said, saying that to do otherwise would be to hand victory to Mugabe.
McGee called on Zimbabwe's neighbours to intervene, saying the Southern African Development Community should send more observers to ensure peace before and during the vote.
SADC officials in Harare said they would deploy 400 observers, with an initial deployment of 120 on Thursday. That is three times the number deployed for the March 29 vote.
But Tsvangirai is coming under pressure from some Zimbabweans to pull out of the run-off to save lives.
The military have taken over vast swathes of the country and few will be prepared to take the risk of voting for him.
"We are under military rule," said Eldred Masunungure senior political analyst from the University of Zimbabwe and director of the Mass Public Opinion Institute.
"People are being killed and so many, many have disappeared. The war against the people is intensifying rather than receding."
He said many NGOs had already closed down and that most human rights lawyers had left the country.
"There is no point in Morgan Tsvangirai trying to take part in this upcoming election when the results are already pre-determined."
The small group of lawyers who have represented political prisoners, such as Andrew Makoni, Harrison Nkomo, Alec Muchadahama and Beatrice Mtetwa have either left the country or are in hiding far from their homes.
More and more MDC MPs have fled to Botswana. Others are in hiding. Only a minority are able to campaign for Tsvangirai's re-election, mostly in south-western Zimbabwe where the population has been decimated by emigration.
Meanwhile, African leaders, including former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, were to issue a public call on Friday for an end to violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe ahead of the elections.
This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on June 13, 2008
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Tendai Biti were both arrested in Zimbabwe on Thursday as President Robert Mugabe's government continued its crackdown on the opposition ahead of the June 27 presidential run-off election.
Police said they would charge Biti with treason which can carry the death penalty.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said the treason charge relates to "a transition document" discussing changing Zimbabwe's government.
Bvudzijena said Biti was in police custody but would not say where. Tsvangirai was arrested in Kwekwe, about 200km southwest of Harare, while campaigning. It was his third arrest in a week.
He was detained for two hours and resumed campaigning after being released.
As before, no charges were laid against him and the MDC believes police are arresting and detaining him just to disrupt his campaign.
The MDC expressed concern on Thursday about the safety of Biti who was arrested at Harare International Airport on his arrival from Johannesburg.
"His whereabouts are still unknown... He was last seen being shoved, with hands handcuffed, into a Mercedes-Benz, registration number AAO 3822," the MDC said.
Biti had been in SA since April and had predicted, in an interview earlier this week, that he would be arrested on his return, as the state-owned Herald newspaper had warned.
According to some sources, Biti had this week been conducting negotiations in SA with representatives of the ruling Zanu-PF party about the possibility of forming a government of national unity to avoid the election.
US Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee said his government was "very, very concerned" about Biti's arrest and word that he would be charged with treason.
He said he had seen the MDC's transition document, describing it as a routine plan any political party would draw up to identify priorities if it were to come to power.
But he said a forged version had circulated that raised issues not contained in the genuine document, including punishing Mugabe hard-liners.
McGee said continuing political violence, Biti's arrest and Tsvangirai's detention left him with little confidence that the run-off will be free and fair.
"But I don't think we have any choice but to move forward with an election," he said, saying that to do otherwise would be to hand victory to Mugabe.
McGee called on Zimbabwe's neighbours to intervene, saying the Southern African Development Community should send more observers to ensure peace before and during the vote.
SADC officials in Harare said they would deploy 400 observers, with an initial deployment of 120 on Thursday. That is three times the number deployed for the March 29 vote.
But Tsvangirai is coming under pressure from some Zimbabweans to pull out of the run-off to save lives.
The military have taken over vast swathes of the country and few will be prepared to take the risk of voting for him.
"We are under military rule," said Eldred Masunungure senior political analyst from the University of Zimbabwe and director of the Mass Public Opinion Institute.
"People are being killed and so many, many have disappeared. The war against the people is intensifying rather than receding."
He said many NGOs had already closed down and that most human rights lawyers had left the country.
"There is no point in Morgan Tsvangirai trying to take part in this upcoming election when the results are already pre-determined."
The small group of lawyers who have represented political prisoners, such as Andrew Makoni, Harrison Nkomo, Alec Muchadahama and Beatrice Mtetwa have either left the country or are in hiding far from their homes.
More and more MDC MPs have fled to Botswana. Others are in hiding. Only a minority are able to campaign for Tsvangirai's re-election, mostly in south-western Zimbabwe where the population has been decimated by emigration.
Meanwhile, African leaders, including former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, were to issue a public call on Friday for an end to violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe ahead of the elections.
This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on June 13, 2008
