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Morgan Tsvangirai arrested

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By Talent Tsatsa, on January 24 2008 05:02

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MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai and two Party officials were arrested and detained for more than four hours at Harare Central Police Station yesterday morning ahead of the Freedom March that saw police beating and injuring peaceful marchers in Harare.

Morgan Tsvangirai Detained For 4 Hours Prior To Freedom March

According to the MDC official website, plain clothes policemen from the CID Law and Order Section arrested the Tsvangirai was at around 4:30 am at his home in Strathaven while another team of police officers also arrested Ian Makone the MDC Secretary for Elections and Dennis Murira the Party’s Director of Elections at almost the same time.

The three were quizzed by the police, who alleged that the party wanted to cause mayhem during the march. They were released after four hours.

The party has since lodged an appeal with the magistrates’ court to nullify a prohibition order issued by the police barely 48 hours after they had allowed the MDC to proceed with its peaceful procession.

The MDC went ahead with the Freedom March yesterday afternoon, after Harare magistrate Priscilla Chigumba had ruled that the police should allow them to go ahead with the march but armed police beat-up the peaceful marchers in central Harare violently attempted to disrupt a sanctioned procession.

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa last evening confirmed that 37 people were injured and 21 of them are in serious condition at a private clinic in Harare where they were taken when police tried to violently quell the peaceful march using tear gas, batons and dogs.

The march ended at the Glamis Arena but when about 40 000 people including shoppers, workers on lunch break and those who were in bank queues formed the largest procession ever seen in Harare, the police stepped in and violently beat up the peaceful marchers.

Addressing more than 10 000 people at the Glamis Arena, President Morgan Tsvangirai said Zanu PF had failed the sincerity test.

“Today Zanu PF has failed the sincerity test. While the police allowed a Zanu PF procession to take place in Harare in December, they have seen it fit to beat up innocent citizens demanding bread, cash, food, jobs, electricity, clean water and free and fair elections” said Tsvangirai.

He added that, the huge turn out despite police violence was a loud statement against the dictatorship.

“How can we trust such a brutal police force to ensure a free and fair poll? Can SADC trust this regime to run a credible electoral process? Can President Mbeki say Mugabe is a sincere partner in the dialogue process? What is now clear is that this regime will steal the peoples’ vote and it remains to be seen whether we will take part in such a charade”.

The MDC’s Freedom March was in demand for is a demand for food, jobs, free and fair elections, a new Constitution before the election, real money and affordable health care and education.

Police had deployed tankers and water cannons into high density areas on Tuesday night to intimidate MDC supporters ahead of the march.

There is heavy police presence in the city centre while armed police officers have sealed off Harare Gardens, where the march was set to begin.

Scores of armed policemen sealed off the venue and indiscriminately attacked people

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Opposition member

By: Lewis (Guest) on January 25 2008 03:59

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Opposition member

By: Lewis (Guest ) on January 25 2008 03:59

How does the Freedom march differ from the Million man march that was organized by ZANU PF? The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) should just change their uniforms and put on ZANU PF T-shirts. Opposition members will know how to respond to them. Zuma is imature in his approach to the new position they have offered him in South Africa. We will go it alone. MDC Ndo-ozvo

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