Zimbabwe Jails Opposition Leaders

President Robert Mugabe's regime struck at the opposition leadership today, just two weeks before Zimbabwe's presidential runoff election, twice detaining his challenger and jailing the opposition party's No. 2 official on treason charges, which carry the death penalty. Presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai was stopped at a roadblock and held at a police station for about two hours before being released. He returned to campaigning, and was again detained by police.

Tendai Biti, secretary-general of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, was arrested at Harare airport upon returning from South Africa. A police spokesman said the treason charge related to a "transition document" discussing changing Zimbabwe's government. He said Biti also would charged with making false statements "prejudicial to the state" for announcing election results before the official count was released. (More Africa stories.)