Zimbabwe: US Calls Tsvangirai Treason Charges "Intimidation"

25 February 2002
allAfrica.com
By Charles Cobb Jr.

Washington, DC — Treason charges laid against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday morning appear to be a government attempt at intimidation, ahead of Zimbabwe's presidential elections, the United States said Monday. President Robert Mugabe faces a serious challenge from Tsvangirai in the poll, scheduled for March 9 and 10.

"We are aware of no convincing evidence that there is any basis for these allegations," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It appears to be another tragic example of President Mugabe's increasingly authoritarian rule, his government's apparent determination to intimidate and repress the opposition as we approach the... presidential election," Boucher added.

Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was summoned to police headquarters to answer questions about an Australian television broadcast of a video-tape purporting to show MDC leader Tsvangirai plotting to assassinate President Mugabe.

Tsvangirai denies the charge and says the taped evidence against him was manipulated to incriminate him.

Travel to the United States by Mugabe, senior Zimbabwean government officials and their families, was banned Friday by President Bush. These so-called "smart sanctions" also ban from entering the U.S., people with businesses that profited from the policies of the Zimbabwean government.

In London, Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters, "The situation in Zimbabwe is worrying."

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