Zimbabwe Opposition Alleges Heightening State Violence

Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has alleged that the government is intensifying a violent campaign against its supporters following President Robert Mugabe’s swearing in for a new six-year year term. MDC released a party statement alleging that 20 more supporters have been killed since the June 27 presidential run-off, and that the total number of deceased party supporters now stands at 109. These allegations came as G8 heads of state meeting in Japan denounced Mugabe’s new mandate as illegitimate and raised prospects of possible sanctions against Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, detained MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti was briefly arraigned in court for treason Monday, before being returned to custody until his next appearance on August 27. [PE]