ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe's courts yesterday ordered that the opposition leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, be jailed for a month while waiting to stand trial on the second treason charge pressed against him.
Mr Tsvangirai (51), the head of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), appeared in a heavily guarded court to face charges that he had incited protests aimed at illegally toppling President Robert Mugabe. His lawyers said they would ask for bail, but were forced to wait until today to request formally his release.
The arrest was seen as part of a crackdown on the opposition after the five-day national strike last week. Lawyers said prosecutors had freed the detained MDC secretary general, Mr Welshman Ncube, and appeared to have dropped treason charges against him.
Police armed with AK-47s, shotguns and batons surrounded the Harare court as Mr Tsvangirai heard the formal reading of charges and was remanded into police custody until July 10th. He arrived in a convoy of armoured vehicles.
The MDC has threatened new protests if Mr Tsvangirai, a former trade union leader, is not released soon.