Mugabe opponents still held in jail 29/04/2008 - 11:51:37
Police in Zimbabwe were today still refusing to release almost 200 members of the main opposition party despite a court order.
The members of the Movement for Democratic Change were taken from their headquarters last week.
Many of those seized had fled to Harare to escape mounting violence and intimidation in rural areas that used to be ruling party strongholds but turned against President Robert Mugabe in the March elections.
The UN Security Council was due to discuss the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe later today in closed session.
Results from the presidential election still have not been declared. Independent observers say that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeated president Robert Mugabe, but did not secure an outright majority necessary to avoid a run-off.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission concluded the recount of 23 disputed parliamentary seats yesterday but has yet to release all the results.
Despite fears of vote-rigging during the parliamentary recount, the published results confirmed that the opposition held a majority of seats for the first time in Zimbabwe’s history.
Yesterday opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai addressed a joint news conference with Arthur Mutambara, the head of a breakaway faction, to say they had healed their divisions and were now united against Mugabe.
“Old man, go and have an honourable exit,” Mr Tsvangirai said in a message to the 84-year-old who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.
“In a parliamentary democracy, the majority rule,” Mr Tsvangirai said alongside Mutambara at a news conference at a Johannesburg airport. “He should concede that ... he cannot be president.”
The opposition leaders also appealed to the UN Security Council to send a special envoy to Zimbabwe and to warn Mugabe that the mounting violence against opposition supporters was tantamount to “crimes against humanity.”
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Police in Zimbabwe were today still refusing to release almost 200 members of the main opposition party despite a court order.
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