With Zimbabwe's presidential elections a week away, "massive intimidation" by supporters of longtime ruler Mr Robert Mugabe today forced his opposition challenger to cancel a campaign rally.
In a separate development, lawyers were barred from seeing 38 supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who have been detained since being arrested yesterday for public violence.
The developments came as Commonwealth leaders prepared to debate the violence that has marred the election which takes place on March 9th and 10th, in which Mr Mugabe's 22-year grip on power faces a serious threat from MDC leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
With calls ranging from outright suspension from the 54-member body to total avoidance of interference, the Commonwealth leaders are expected to take the middle ground and settle on issuing a stern warning to Harare over the need for a free and fair vote.
Mr Tsvangirai's rally in Marondera, a farming town to the east of Harare, was called off after ruling party militants put up roadblocks, burned tires, tore down MDC campaign posters and assaulted passers-by as international observers looked on.
One MDC supporter was hospitalized with a cut to the head.
"We had to cancel the rally due to massive intimidation by (the ruling) ZANU-PF supporters," MDC national chairman Mr Isaac Matongo told journalists and election observers from South Africa, the Southern African Development Community and the Commonwealth.
The MDC has said that about 100 rallies have been disrupted or cancelled since the start of the year.
AFP