Police have rounded up hundreds of Zimbabwe activists who were helping organise weekend protest marches against the disputed election victory of President Robert Mugabe.
The arrests were part of what human rights workers have called a continuing campaign of harassment and violence targeting critics of Mr Mugabe's 22 year regime.
At least 354 activists were arrested at a church-run hostel in western Harare yesterday, said Mr Lovemore Madhuku, head of the National Constitutional Assembly, a constitutional reform group.
The activists were meeting to organise street protests in Harare and provincial centres in defiance of a police ban issued under sweeping new security laws used to muzzle Mr Mugabe's opponents.
Mr Madhuku said the organisers - several of whom were women arrested with infant children, were being held at nine police stations across the capital.
"It is totally repressive. The police ban on our planned peaceful demonstrations in unlawful and unconstitutional. We are going ahead, even if they have to keep jailing people," he said.
Opposition and civic groups have been so far unsuccessful in organising mass protests against Mr Mugabe's election victory which several observer groups said was deeply flawed.
PA