Zimbabwe's MDC members beaten, arrested over rally: party (Roundup)

Jan 23, 2008, 15:58 GMT

Johannesburg/Harare - Several members of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were injured after being beaten by police during clashes in Harare Wednesday while attempting to attend a party rally, the MDC said.

The clashes took place shortly after a judge in Harare's magistrates court upheld a government ban on the MDC's planned Freedom March through the city, but ordered that the party be allowed stage a rally in a stadium in the west of the city.

Following the ruling a crowd of several hundred MDC supporters emerged from the party's city-centre headquarters and started marching towards the stadium waving placards and singing songs.

In scenes recalling the widely-criticized March 2007 crackdown on an MDC prayer rally, at which party leader Morgan Tsvangirai was badly beaten, the protestors' path was barred by riot police who fired tear gas and baton-charged them.

'Several people were badly beaten,' MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti said, putting the number of injured who were being treated in hospital at between 10 and 15.

Police had arrested two groups of around 24 people, including MDC national organizing secretary Elias Mujuri, according to Biti. The party's lawyers were seeking confirmation of the numbers arrested.

The clashes dealt a blow to the MDC rally, which organizers had hoped would attract thousands. Only a couple of hundred supporters managed to get through and hold a rally in a field, witnesses said.

'In two weeks we will take them on again. This time we will given them even more notice. We're going to keep up the pressure,' Biti said defiantly.

Tensions had been running high ahead of the protest after the government banned it at the last minute Tuesday citing concerns for public safety despite initially giving it the green light.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was taken in for questioning by police for several hours before being released without charge.

The planned march was aimed at pressing the party's demands for upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections to be held under a new draft constitution.

President Robert Mugabe, who has been slammed by the international community for presiding over the country's economic ruin and political decay, is seeking to extend his 28-year hold on power in the polls, scheduled for March.

The MDC has vowed to boycott the elections if held under the current charter.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has been appointed by the Southern African Development Community last year to mediate between the two parties on creating conditions for free and fair elections.

A year after he took on the role in March 2007 the talks appear to be at an impasse.

The MDC set out to test Mugabe's commitment to reforms agreed to during the talks Wednesday after the long-time leader signed into law an amendment to strict security laws making it easier, in principle, for people to demonstrate.

Asked whether Mbeki would be taking a position on the latest violence in Harare his spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said it was not the president's style to publicly address either Zimbabwean party and that his mediation was ongoing.