MDC protests clampdown

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has protested the arrest of two members of parliament this week and accused the government of continued violence against its supporters. MDC parliamentarians confronted police on Wednesday when they tried to present a protest petition over the arrests that followed local council elections at the weekend, which human rights group Amnesty International said were marred by state-sponsored violence and intimidation. MDC MP Tichaona Munyanyi was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the recent murder of a ruling party supporter. He was expected to appear in court on Thursday. On Sunday, MDC MP Roy Bennett, his bodyguard and a South African accompanying them, were arrested at a roadblock in Chimanimani, in the east of the country, for allegedly taking pictures at a polling booth. The MDC's legal affairs secretary David Coltart told IRIN that opposition MPs had attempted to hand a signed petition to the speaker of parliament, protesting the arrest of their colleagues and alleged intimidation and torture of MDC supporters. "Our chief whip was denied permission to hand it [the petition] to the speaker and was then thrown out of parliament, we all [MDC MPs] left parliament and walked across to police headquarters in an effort to hand it over to the police commissioner," he said. However, the police refused to receive the petition. MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube told IRIN that the police were "very hostile" towards the MPs and were allegedly "issued an instruction that they should actually assault us, fortunately the police at the gate refused to carry out that instruction, instead they negotiated with us". The MPs were told that in terms of protocol the petition should be handed to the minister of home affairs, to whom it was later delivered. "The petition sets out our concern about the breakdown of the rule of law, the selective application of the law, the arrest of opposition MPs and activists, the torture inflicted upon opposition activists and demands that the police apply the law impartially and desist from harassing the opposition," Coltart said. Amnesty International has "strongly condemned" what it described as state-sponsored violence, torture, arrests and intimidation of opposition candidates and supporters during the local council elections held on 28 and 29 September. "Once again, government authorities have failed to ensure that elections take place in a climate free from harassment and intimidation. All allegations of human rights violations, including torture, against ... MDC officials and supporters during the local elections must be effectively investigated," the rights group said in a statement.