ZIMBABWE: The sudden court appearance is being described as a reaction to Zimbabwe's Commonwealth suspension, reports Declan Walsh, in Harare
Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, was charged with treason yesterday in a sign of President Robert Mugabe's stubborn defiance of swelling international condemnation.
The arrest came on the heels of the one-year Commonwealth suspension imposed on Tuesday and coincided with the start of a three-day general strike yesterday.
Since being re-elected last week Mr Mugabe has engaged in a crack-down against his opponents. He enacted a repressive new media law and harassed trade union leaders, while at least three opposition activists and one white farmer have been murdered.
Mr Tsvangirai was suddenly brought before Harare magistrates court yesterday, three weeks after police first made allegations that he plotted to assassinate President Mugabe. The court action was a "knee-jerk reaction" to the Commonwealth suspension, his lawyer told a packed courtroom.
"This appearance is simply continued harassment of Mr Tsvangirai and members of his party," said Mr Eric Matinenga.
Mr Tsvangirai was remanded until April 30th on an abnormally high bail of Z$1.5 million (€41,322) and a property surety of Z$3 million. A senior Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) parliamentarian, Mr Renson Gasela, was also charged with treason and released.
On the steps of the court, the MDC secretary general, Mr Welshman Ncube, the third alleged plotter, rejected the charges as "an attempt to make it impossible for the leadership to struggle against this illegitimate government".
The prosecution alleges that the MDC leader offered an Israeli public relations consultant, Mr Ari Ben-Menashe, US$500,000 to organise the killing. The prosecution case rests on a video-tape of a meeting between the two men, a heavily-edited version of which was extensively aired on state television before the election.
It later transpired that Mr Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence agent, had been employed by Mr Mugabe.
Union leaders said they were "disappointed" by the initial response to the general strike yesterday. While some banks and factories closed, many other businesses remained open.
The secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Mr Wellington Chibebe, blamed police harassment and repressive laws that curtail union activity. Police earlier declared the strike illegal.
But on the shop floors yesterday, several workers criticised the ZCTU for poor organisation and consultation. Many said that after the disappointment of the election result, they were concentrating on feeding their families.
"These days there are no basic commodities and the prices are rising all the time. So you have to look after your family first," said Isaac, a mechanic who had come to work in Harare's industrial area.
The opposition said ZCTU failed to make its reasons clear "if it was a protest against the election results," he said.
Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said the suspension from the Commonwealth was the right decision and he paid tribute to the "courage and leadership" of the premiers of Australia, Nigeria and South Africa for making the decision. However, Zimbabwe's information minister, Mr Jonathan Moyo, dismissed the observer report used to make the decision as "trash".
"It merely parrots the shameless allegations that we have been subjected to by Britain," he said.