The leader of Zimbabwe's political opposition was arrested in an overnight police raid on his home ahead of a mass march today that had been banned by authorities.
Nelson Chamisa, a spokesman for Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, said officers seized the leader at around 4 a.m. at his home in northern Harare.
Chamisa said lawyers were at the Harare central police station trying to secure Tsvangirai's release. No charges were immediately disclosed, he said.
In the past, Tsvangirai has been assaulted, harassed and forced to endure police searches of his home and offices. No details were immediately available of his treatment during his arrest Wednesday.
In March, Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders were hospitalized after being assaulted by police, who broke up a prayer meeting that had been declared illegal.
Mugabe has repeatedly justified the use of force against opposition activists, saying they are western pawns intent on destabilizing the country.
The opposition vowed to go ahead with Wednesday's march despite the ban by police on grounds that it would endanger security.
"The march is on. Morgan Tsvangirai was not the only one who was going to march. We are not going to be intimidated," Chamisa said.
Police on Tuesday banned the march, questioning organizers' motives and saying the demonstration might not be peaceful.
The march would be the first test of new security laws that were meant to relax bans on political rallies and meetings ahead of elections scheduled for March.
State radio said Tuesday that police intelligence reports indicated the Movement for Democratic Change was working "outside the spirit" of an initial agreement for the march to go ahead.
The radio said police believed there were "sinister motives" behind the march, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
It said statements by Tsvangirai, Chamisa and other officials called for marchers on the "Freedom Walk" to exert pressure on the government and ruling party.
At a weekend rally, Tsvangirai repeated demands for more constitutional and electoral reforms before the election and denounced as fraud the state Electoral Commission's redrawing of voting district boundaries.
The opposition has called for polling to be delayed to June to allow for its demands to be met, but President Robert Mugabe has insisted national elections are to take place by the end of March.
Changes to Zimbabwe's media, security and electoral laws — negotiated in talks between the ruling party and opposition aimed at ending the nation's political and economic crisis — were rushed through parliament at the end of 2007. They became law Jan. 11.
In addition to easing rules on protests, the revised laws relax rules for journalists to obtain licenses, and set up a new licensing authority — the Zimbabwe Media Commission.
Independent media groups say the media amendments will be put to the test in coming weeks as foreign journalists seek visas and state media accreditation to visit Zimbabwe for the elections. In the recent past, foreign journalists have routinely been denied visas and accreditation.