afrol News, 8 February - Leading members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are being imprisoned and intimidated all over Zimbabwe, the party claims. In the preparation to the March elections, MDC candidates are arrested when trying to organise local party meetings, even when these have been permitted by the police.

Paul Nyathi, the MDC's Secretary for Information and Publicity, today condemned yet another arrest on one of his party's candidates for the 31 March parliamentary elections. Godrich Chimbaira, the MDC candidate in Harare's Zengeza township. Zengeza was also the locality for electoral violence in August last year, where MDC activist Francis Chinozvinya was shot dead and others were wounded.

According to the MDC spokesman, Mr Chimbaira was arrested for meeting members of his district structure at his house. MDC lawyer Alec Muchadehama said that Mr Chimbaira was called to the Chitungwiza Police Station on the pretext that some MDC youth had been involved in violence. "This turned out to be a farce as he was arrested on arrival," said the MDC spokesman.

Mr Chimbaira's arrest comes in the wake of the arrests, two weeks ago, of the opposision's MP for the Kuwadzana constituency (Mashonaland, eastern Zimbabwe), Nelson Chamisa, and the MP for the Makokoba constituency (a township in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city), Thokozani Khupe. Both Mashonaland and Bulawayo are strongholds of the MDC, but voter intimidation has reduced the opposition's percentage of votes here lately.

Ms Khupe of the Makokoba constituency on 26 January was arrested together with MDC 100 members as she held a "strategic meeting" with members of her ward structures and councillors at her restaurant when the police's riot squad pounced on them. She was charged for holding an illegal meeting.

In Nyanga, in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, members of the Zimbabwe National Army recently assaulted 15 MDC members attending a campaign rally addressed by MDC candidate Douglas Mwonzora. This was despite the fact that the meeting had been sanctioned by the police, according to the opposition party.

According to MDC spokesman Nyathi, these arrests and assaults were proving that "democratic space continues to dwindle" in Zimbabwe. He further holds that President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party is "afraid of the MDC growing popularity." The regime's "flagrant use of the police force as a weapon to suppress the people's party is unquestionable evidence of the crumbling ZANU-PF's growing fear of the people," Mr Nyathi added.

Also MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai today condemned the poor state of democracy in Zimbabwe in a speech. Mr Tsvangirai said he doubted whether free and fair elections could be held on 31 March, but he urged the commission that is reviewing election procedures to discharge its duties "without fear or favour." Further, he urged people to "unite against tyranny."

By staff writer

© afrol News

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