The United States Wednesday called for the
immediate release of Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was
detained by police earlier in the day while campaigning for the second round of
the country's presidential elections.
"It's a deeply disturbing development," State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack said. "He should be released immediately,
unharmed, untouched."
Tsvangirai was detained along with several other party members about 10 days
after he returned from self-imposed exile to contest the run-off against
longtime President Robert Mugabe on June 27. Dozens of supporters of
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change Party were killed during his
absence.
McCormack called on South Africa and other countries in the region to use more
of their "leverage" to bring about a fair election in the
poverty-stricken country.
"The leadership of the South African government is, I
have to say, uniquely positioned to go to President Mugabe and the leadership
there and to encourage them to change their behavior," McCormack said, according to dpa.
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