Treason Case Lands Mugabe Foe in Court

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai appeared in court on treason charges and was granted bail Wednesday as Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe faced mounting pressure over his reelection in balloting that was widely seen as fraudulent.

Tsvangirai’s court appearance dashed international hopes that Mugabe, accused of stealing victory in last week’s voting, had been persuaded by Nigeria and South Africa to explore a power-sharing deal with his rival.

Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change who had challenged Mugabe for the presidency, was ordered to court a day after the Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe for a year on grounds that the election had not been free and fair.

The Commonwealth made clear that its sanction was focused on Mugabe and the political leadership by inviting Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Manchester, England, in July.

Tsvangirai was named before the election in a treason inquiry linked to a secretly filmed video purporting to show him discussing Mugabe’s assassination.

Tsvangirai has said the tape was doctored to misrepresent his conversation.

The court set bail of about $27,000, with a further surety of property title deeds worth at least $54,000. Tsvangirai was told to surrender his passport to police.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who announced the Commonwealth suspension in London on Tuesday, told reporters after a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Wednesday that he was worried about the action against Tsvangirai.

“Any notion of the prosecution of the opposition leader in Zimbabwe is quite inimical to the prospect of national reconciliation,” Howard said.

Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria met Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately Monday, trying to persuade them to work together for Zimbabwe’s political and economic recovery.