MDC demands compensation for freed activists

By Henry Makiwa
10 October 2007

The MDC has demanded compensation from the Robert Mugabe regime now that terrorism charges have been dropped against dozens of activists who spent nearly four months in custody.
Supporters of the opposition party were rounded up in raids in March when the police claimed to have thwarted plans for a campaign of petrol-bombings.

The arrests came days after security forces broke up a planned opposition rally and assaulted MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and scores of supporters and party officials.

On Wednesday MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said: "We are definitely pressing for compensation and we are pressing against individual officers who beat and tortured us. Our lawyers are currently quantifying the damages we incurred, including destruction to property at our Harvest House offices, records and files and computers that were taken and never brought back despite a court order.”

Biti said the arrests were part of a deliberate ploy to destroy the opposition party, regardless of the fact that the state lacked evidence in its case.

State prosecutors had claimed that some of the detained MDC activists underwent military training in neighbouring South Africa in a plan to unseat Mugabe.