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700 Bhutto Supporters Arrested
Bhutto claims 'thousands' of activists have been arrested
By Jason Farago
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Posted Nov 8, 07 5:45 AM CST
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(Newser)
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More than 700 supporters of opposition leader Benazar Bhutto were arrested overnight, her party claims, in anticipation of a mass rally planned for tomorrow in Rawalpindi to protest emergency rule in Pakistan. In Karachi, five people arrested earlier were charged with treason for making speeches critical of the government; if convicted they would face a death sentence.
Until yesterday anti-government protests have been led by lawyers, enraged by the suspension of the constitution and the house arrest of the country's chief justice. But Bhutto's vow to hold a rally tomorrow and a mass "long march" next week has emboldened her supporters: 400 of them faced down tear gas at a protest outside the parliament buildings yesterday.