Opposition leader arrested in Zimbabwe

Police opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in an overnight raid on his home yesterday, hours before he was due to lead a mass march that was banned by authorities, his group said.

Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for Tsvangirai's wing of the Movement for Democratic Change, said officers seized the leader at around 4am from his home in northern Harare.

The opposition vowed to go ahead with the march despite the ban by police on security grounds.

Chamisa lawyers were at the Harare central police station trying to secure Tsvangirai's release. No charges were immediately given, he said.

"The march is on. Morgan Tsvangirai was not the only one who was going to march. We are not going to be intimidated," Chamisa said.

Police Tuesday banned the march, questioning organizers' motives and saying the demonstration might not be peaceful.

It was the first test of new security laws that were meant to relax bans on political rallies and meetings ahead of elections scheduled for March.

State radio said on Tuesday that police intelligence reports indicated the Movement for Democratic Change was working "outside the spirit" of an initial agreement for the march to go ahead.

A radio report said police believed there were "sinister motives" behind the march, scheduled to begin at 11am.

"Police do not believe the march will be held in a peaceful and tranquil manner and it is felt it is not in the interest of public security for it to proceed," the radio report said.

It said statements by Tsvangirai, Chamisa and other officials called for marchers on the "Freedom Walk" to exert pressure on the government and ruling party.

Tsvangirai, at a weekend rally, also repeated demands for more constitutional and electoral reforms before the election and described new boundaries of voting districts redrawn by the state Electoral Commission to increase the number of parliament seats as a fraud.

The opposition has called for polling to be delayed to June to allow for its demands to be met, but President Robert Mugabe has insisted national elections take place by the end of March.

Changes media, security and electoral laws -- negotiated in South African-mediated talks between the ruling party and opposition aimed at ending the nation's political and economic crisis -- were rushed through parliament at the end of last year. They became law on Jan. 11.

In addition to easing rules on protests, the revised laws relax rules for journalists to obtain licenses, and set up a new licensing authority -- the Zimbabwe Media Commission.

Independent groups say the media amendments will also be put to the test in coming weeks as foreign journalists seek visas and state media accreditation to visit Zimbabwe for the elections. In the recent past, foreign journalists have routinely been denied visas and accreditation for reporting from Zimbabwe.