Detention of Zimbabwean Opposition Leader

The United States is deeply concerned about the detention of Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Zimbabwe opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and other opposition officials today at the MDC's headquarters in Harare. Tsvangirai was planning to hold a press conference drawing attention to a series of abductions of MDC officials by what are believed to be government agents. We hold President Mugabe responsible for the safety of these Zimbabwean citizens and we call on Zimbabwean authorities to investigate these attacks and punish those responsible.

Events in Zimbabwe over the past several weeks make clear that the Mugabe regime is determined to preserve its power, regardless of the cost of its brutal tactics to the nation and people of Zimbabwe. The regime is attempting to blame the violence on the opposition itself. The international community rejects this patently false effort to blame the victims. Robert Mugabe must stop brutalizing his people, and must allow Zimbabweans free exercise of their democratic rights. Tomorrow, the Presidents of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be meeting in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam to discuss the Zimbabwean crisis. It is time for Africans to publicly call Mugabe to account for his misrule.

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