Zimbabwe’s opposition presidential candidate has resumed campaigning today after spending nine hours in police detention in the country’s second main city.
Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party said in a statement today that he had left Bulawayo to continue his campaign. It says he is "undeterred" by the detention and accuses President Robert Mugabe's government of trying to steal the June 27th presidential run-off.
According to his party, police released Mr Tsvangirai late yesterday after charging him with "attracting a large number of people". Police have broad powers to restrict gatherings in Zimbabwe.
Party officials say Mr Tsvangirai had been campaigning in the area when police stopped his convoy yesterday.
Mr Tsvangirai today described his detention as "yet another indication of the lengths that the Mugabe regime is prepared to go to in order to try and steal the election".
The opposition claims 65 people have been killed by Mugabe's supporters since the election. Yesterday, it said soldiers and ZANU-PF activists had beaten and threatened to shoot Zimbabweans who wanted to support Tsvangirai.
Mugabe says the opposition is responsible for violence.
State media has reported that the ruling ZANU-PF party and Tsvangirai's MDC have set up a joint team to stop political violence.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had facilitated the establishment of a committee comprising ZANU-PF and MDC officials to stem violence.
But MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the team was unlikely to stop the violence.