Judiciary brought into line

Amonth ago I reported on the appalling condition of a group of prisoners, all members of the opposition party MDC, who were dragged to court by Mugabe's police, but sent immediately by ambulance to hospital on the orders of the shocked magistrate.

Today I can confirm that, although the condition of these and other MDC activisits arrested at the same time has deteriorated still further, the Home Affairs minister Kembo Mohadi has ordered that on no account will they be given bail.

This move is seen as an attempt by Mugabe's regime to politicise the judiciary, which has previously been relied upon as a beacon of integrity in an otherwise hopelessly corrupt country.

Opposition lawyers have