World Jun. 05, 2008 - 05:28AM JST ( 2 )

HARARE —

Zimbabwe authorities intensified a pre-poll crackdown Wednesday, detaining the opposition chief for several hours over accusations he had addressed a rally without authorization and ordering charities to stop work.

The detention of Morgan Tsvangirai, who faces President Robert Mugabe in the June 27 run-off, was heavily criticized by Western governments.

He was released without being charged shortly before 10 p.m. after extensive questioning by police, party lawyer Job Sibanda said. Several top lieutenants held along with him were also freed.

“It is nothing but the usual harassment which is totally unnecessary,” Tsvangirai said after his release. “We have seen worse things than this.”

Speaking earlier from the police station in southwestern Zimbabwe where the group from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had been held, Sibanda said Tsvangirai had been accused of rallying supporters.

“They are accusing him of addressing a rally at St Paul’s (near Lupane) without authorization,” Sibanda said.

“In fact, they had gone to a hospital to visit patients. As they walked outside, a crowd gathered and they exchanged a few pleasantries and some ideas. This is what the police say was an illegal gathering.

“This is just a fishing expedition, they are looking for any small thing to detain them.”

Chief party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said deputy party leader Thokozani Khupe and MDC chairman Lovemore Moyo were also held with Tsvangirai and had been questioned.

“It’s the whole entourage of the president, including his security personnel and other senior party officials,” he said.

News of the detention brought swift condemnation from the U.S. State Department, with a spokesman calling it a “deeply disturbing development.”

“We would call for his immediate release and we are sure that all others who have an interest in seeing free and fair elections take place in Zimbabwe ... will call for the same,” Sean McCormack said.

The German government described Tsvangirai’s detention as “completely unacceptable,” while the European Union presidency said it was “deeply concerned.”

Tsvangirai has been arrested on a number of occasions and twice been charged with treason.

He suffered head injuries in March last year after being assaulted by security forces as he tried to stage an anti-government rally in the capital Harare.

The former union leader is only participating in the run-off election under protest, insisting he won outright majority in a first round in March, although official results gave him 47.9% of votes against Mugabe’s 43.2%.

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.

Violence has also mounted ahead of the run-off, and the MDC says around 60 of its supporters have been killed by pro-Mugabe militias in recent weeks.

Three of the latest victims were said to have been shot by suspected ruling party militants in a raid on the MDC’s offices in Zaka, southern Zimbabwe.

Mugabe has fingered the opposition for the violence, but the United Nations’ chief representative in the country has said Mugabe’s supporters are to blame for the bulk of it.

Mugabe has been in Rome attending a U.N. food agency summit. He used his speech at the Food and Agriculture Organization meeting on Tuesday to accuse the West of trying to bring about “illegal regime change” in Zimbabwe.

He has previously accused non-governmental organizations of interfering in politics, and aid groups received further bad news Wednesday.

Charity officials said that Zimbabwe had ordered a number of international aid groups to halt work after accusing them of campaigning for the opposition ahead of a presidential run-off.

CARE spokesman Kenneth Walker said his group was accused of campaigning in favor of the opposition and was among some 30 NGOs told to shut down work. That number could not be immediately confirmed.

A national NGO association had earlier issued a statement saying several unnamed organizations were ordered to cease operations over the same accusations.

Many Zimbabweans, particularly in rural areas, rely on food aid due to shortages of basic commodities such as cooking oil and cornmeal in the one-time breadbasket of southern Africa.

AFP