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Opposition lawyer arrested ahead of Zimbabwe summit

The opposition yesterday accused Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s regime of stepping up a crackdown by arresting its leader’s lawyer ahead of a key summit on the country’s post-election crisis.

Innocent Chagonda was arrested on Thursday for simply demanding the release of a helicopter hired by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for his presidential campaign, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and another lawyer said.

The helicopter had been confiscated by police and the pilot, a South African national, was detained on March 25 for alleged fraud and immigration transgressions. He spent nine days behind bars before being freed.

“As a party we feel this is a sustained effort on the part of the authorities against people who assist the MDC,” spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

“This is an onslaught which is not only happening in the rural areas, but even in the civil service as people who are perceived MDC supporters are being intimidated,” he said.

Zimbabwe is still awaiting the result of the presidential election on March 29. Tsvangirai claims outright victory, but Mugabe’s ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) says there must be a run-off.

The opposition on Thursday ruled out Tsvangirai’s participation in any second-round vote, accusing Mugabe and his regime of having launched a campaign of intimidation that would effect the true democratic result.

Zimbabwe Information Minister Bright Matonga yesterday shot down the opposition claims.

“There was no violence before the election, during the election or after the election so we can’t talk about even a military junta or anything,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mugabe and Tsvangirai prepared to lock horns at a weekend summit of southern African leaders aimed at sorting out Zimbabwe’s election mess.

Regional leaders were converging on the Zambian capital Lusaka for today’s extraordinary summit of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community to consider the crisis.

Tsvangirai met on Thursday in Pretoria with South African President Thabo Mbeki, officials said. Mbeki has come under fire for failing to condemn the long delay in announcing the presidential poll result.
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