Mugabe in new crackdown on MDC

Roy Bennett, who was warned not to come back to Zimbabwe unless he wanted the CIO to torture him, was arrested Friday in Harare shortly before he was to be sworn in as part of a new government of national unity, his Movement for Democratic Change party said.

"Roy Bennett, MDC treasurer general and deputy minister of agriculture designate has just been arrested by state agents," the party said in a statement. Bennett, who had lived in exile for the last five years in South Africa, was arrested despite Prime Minister Tsvangirai's pledge that in the new Zimbabwe nobody would be persecuted.

"Roy was arrested about 15 minutes ago at Charles Prince airport, on the outskirts of Harare," Ian Makone, chief secretary in the office of Prime Minister and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, said. Bennett, sources in the intelligence services tell the Harare Tribune, was arrested by CIO agents working with plain clothes police officers.

The MDC said that he was arrested by police from the force's notorious Law and Order section, which deals with political crimes.

"We understand that they are taking him to Marondera, where there is notorious torture and interrogation base," the party said.

Before fleeing to South Africa, Bennett had been accused by the ZANU-PF govt. for plotting to overthrow Mugabe from office. Sources say ZANU-PF will revive the case against Bennett. If found guilt, Bennett faces the death penalty.

Bennett's arrests casts doubt on the viability of the inclusive government and sends a clear warning to those Zimbabweans living in exile who fled political persecution by state agents.

Western powers who have refused to lift sanctions will now feel vindicated, for it seems they were right to suspect that Mugabe will never change his tactics of trying to eliminate his opponents.

Bennett's arrest comes in the face of Mugabe's refusal to release all political prisoners still held in prisons across the country on suspicion of trying to overthrow Mugabe.