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Zimbabwe Opposition Accuses Police of Beatings Ahead of Next Week's Election VOA News 1 Mar 2002 00:21 UTC 
Zimbabwe's main opposition party has accused police of raiding its offices in the capital, Harare, and beating up some of its officials. In a statement Thursday, the Movement for Democratic Change or M-D-C said at least nine people were injured in the raid. Party members say they were training to serve as polling agents. Police say they arrested 38 M-D-C members and will charge them with causing a public disturbance earlier in the day. Critics accuse President Robert Mugabe of trying to win next week's election by intimidating the opposition and cracking-down on the media. The 78-year old president is facing the stiffest challenge to his 22-year rule from M-D-C leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the March ninth and 10th election. Meanwhile, South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma says the Zimbabwean government has assured him that Mr. Tsvangirai has not been charged with treason, as widely reported. Deputy President Zuma spoke Thursday after meeting in Harare with President Mugabe and other government officials. The South African vice-president quoted the Zimbabwean government as saying Mr. Tsvangirai was questioned earlier this week by police about an alleged plot to assassinate President Mugabe, but no charges were filed. On Monday, Zimbabwean police and Mr. Tsvangirai both said the opposition leader had been charged with treason over the alleged plot. The deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe is expected to dominate the Commonwealth summit, which begins Saturday near the Australian city of Brisbane. In a related development, Mr. Tsvangirai has filed a lawsuit against an Australian television network for airing a report purporting to show him plotting to assassinate President Mugabe. A spokesman for Mr. Tsvangirai says the Australian broadcast, which first aired the allegations of the assassination plot, was clearly designed to defame the opposition leader. Australia's S-B-S television aired a program February 13th, that allegedly showed Mr. Tsvangirai meeting with a Canadian consulting firm and plotting to eliminate President Mugabe. Mr. Tsvangirai has emphatically denied the allegation.
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