VOA标准英语2008年-Zimbabwe Police Beat Demonstrators on Way to Le

Zimbabwe police clamped down hard on protesters, beating them as they made their way to a rally, following the brief detention¹ of the founding president of the country's political opposition². As Peta Thornycroft reports, the demonstration³ was to be the first test of new security laws intended to ease restrictions⁴ on protests in the leadup to elections set for March.

Movement for Democratic Change Secretary-General Tendai Biti says he applied⁵ well within deadline for permission to hold an anti-poverty and pro- democracy 'freedom walk' in accordance with new security laws which came into effect January 11.

But police immediately stopped the demonstration, telling state-controlled radio the protest had "sinister⁶" intentions. A police spokesmen said it was feared the opposition MDC would incite⁷ violence in the streets.

The MDC went to court to overturn the ban and was granted permission to hold a rally on the outskirts⁸ of Harare.

According to eyewitness⁹ reports from central Harare, police fired tear gas and beat up a few people walking peacefully towards the rally on the western edge of the city. A few walkers held placards.

The founding president of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, was detained before dawn, but police relased him hours later and he addressed the rally.

Zimbabwean police have used heavy-handed tactics to prevent or break up opposition rallies in the past. Last March, security forces severely¹⁰ beat Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders as they tried to hold a mass rally in Harare.

Several amendments¹¹ to existing media, security and election laws became effective January 11.

These reforms were the result of negotiations¹² that began last April between the two main political parties, the MDC and the ruling Zanu-PF, mediated¹³ by South African president Thabo Mbeki.

The talks broke down in December. The opposition has demanded a new constitution, agreed to in the talks, be in place before the election and said polling should be delayed to allow people time to understand the new laws.

President Robert Mugabe has insisted elections take place as scheduled and has said he will not allow the new constitution to be implemented¹⁴ before the polls.

President Mbeki went to Harare last week to try to persuade President Robert Mugabe to stick to agreements made during the negotiations, President Mugabe refused.

Zimbabwe is mired¹⁵ in an economic crisis, with an annual inflation rate of several thousand percent as well as shortages of food, fuel, and foreign currency.