The Zimbabwe Gazette Daily News Online

Tsvangirai Arrested & Released

Thursday, 05 June 2008

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s long-standing Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader has been
released out of jail by police after he was arrested and detained by Zimbabwean police for eight hours.
“He was released without charge,” said an official with the MDC. He added that police had also
confiscated the opposition leader’s armoured vehicle. The MDC leader, who faces long-standing rival and
President Robert Mugabe in the June 27 presidential election run-off, accuses Mugabe and his Zanu PF party of running
down Zimbabwe’s economy. "He has been taken into a charge office in Lupane," chief spokesperson for the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change Nelson said. "The police just said our bosses want to see you," he
added. Tsvangirai, who has been arrested on numerous occasions, has been charged twice with treason and has also
suffered serious injuries while in police custody. {mosgoogle} The former union leader is only participating in the run-off
election under protest, insisting he won an outright majority in the first round in March. Official results from the electoral
commission gave Tsvangirai 47.9 percent of the vote against Mugabe's 43.2 percent. The MDC has faced severe
restrictions in its campaigning efforts and Tsvangirai has been largely prevented from addressing party rallies. Four
MDC lawmakers have been arrested in the lead-up to the vote later this month, when Mugabe will be seeking to extend
his 28 years at the helm of the southern African nation. A leader of a breakaway MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara, was
arrested on Sunday over an opinion piece which was heavily critical of 84-year-old Mugabe's rule of the former British
colony. He has since been bailed. Violence has also mounted ahead of the run-off, and the MDC says 58 of its
supporters have been killed by pro-Mugabe militias in recent weeks.

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