Opposition Lawyer Arrested in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean police arrested a prominent opposition party lawyer today in a dawn raid at his home, a day after the Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai was himself detained for a second time and banned from holding any political rallies.

It was also revealed today that it was only the direct intervention of South African president Thabo Mbeki in a personal phone call to the Zimbabwean government that had led to Tsvangirai being released after he was held on Thursday.

With just weeks to go until the presidential run-off on June 27, Robert Mugabe's government is intensifying a vicious crackdown on its opposition and their supporters.

Today Eric Matinenga, an MP and Tsvangirai's lawyer during his 2005 trial for treason, became the sixth MDC legal advisor to have been arrested and detained for various offences since the result of the first, March 29 presidential poll, was eventually announced.

That was won by Tsvangirai, but narrowly according to official results, and without the majority needed to avoid a run-off with President Mugabe.

Matinenga was re-arrested just two days after a magistrate had ordered him to be released from custody, saying he had been wrongly charged with inciting public violence in his constituency, Buhera West.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said today that Matinenga's arrest was illegal and accused Mugabe of sabotaging campaigning in order to keep his 28-year hold on power.

All week police have been moving ahead of the MDC, closing off areas where rallies were planned to be take place and arresting MDC activists, including David Nyathi, the MDC's provincial director of elections.

Tsvangirai was detained twice as he tried to campaign in the rural south-west province of Matebeleland. On Thursday Tsvangirai, his deputy Thokozani Khupe and the MDC national chairperson Lovemore Moyo, were detained at a roadblock and held for over 11 hours.

Tsvangirai told the Observer that their bullet-proof vehicle was impounded and remains in a police lock-up, alleging the driver was breaking licensing legislation.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena insisted: 'People are free to campaign as they choose," but said Tsvangirai had consistently broken the law by failing to notify police of his rallies. "For now, we are just warning him," Bvudzijena said.

The business newspaper the Zimbabwe Independent today quoted sources saying that President Mbeki had spoken by phone to senior Zimbabwe government officials appealing for Tsvangirai's release.

Mbeki's spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga confirmed that Mbeki had came to Tsvangirai's rescue. 'Discussions did take place with government representatives in Harare in which the president appealed for Mr Tsvangirai's release,"Ratshitanga said.

The Southern African Development Community appointed Mbeki last year to facilitate talks between Zanu PF and the MDC with a view to finding a lasting solution to the country's crisis. The talks collapsed and Mbeki has come under heavy criticism for his softly softly approach to Mugabe amid a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis inside Zimbabwe.

After several weeks of intimidation and violent attacks by police and militias on MDC voters that has seen more than 60 MDC supporters killed, and tens of thousands flee their homes, many forced to flood over the borders into South Africa or Botswana, Mugabe's strategy seems now to be to attempt cripple the opposition by arresting its key leaders. He is also increasing the military presence in his former strongholds in the rural areas, where Tsvangirai made major election gains in March.

"They are trying to cripple the electoral capacity of the MDC in every way. Many of our leadership in the front line have been killed, abducted, beaten and generally harassed," said Eddie Cross, an opposition MP.

"They are working in every field to reduce our capacity to campaign and win the run-off. Radio stations are being jammed, newspapers burnt and journalists harassed," he said.

At the same time, a familiar tactic of starving the opposition is being played out. On Thursday Mugabe's government announced a ban on non-government organisations providing food aid in the countryside, accusing them of 'political activity' and leaving the ruling party, Zanu PF clear to use its tried and tested method of using food to coerce votes.

The UN and the Food and Agriculture Organisation are warning that Zimbabweans are enduring unusually huge shortages of food supplies. Bread in particular is becoming scarce and the government's grain silos are said to be empty.