US Demands Zimbabwe Release Americans

The US State Department is demanding the immediate release of Americans detained in Zimbabwe, CNN reports. Riot police entered a hotel yesterday and removed foreign reporters, including a New York Times correspondent now being held in a Harare jail. Another US citizen working for a democratic rights organization was also detained at the Harare airport, AP reports. The citizens were being held for no valid reason, said a US official.

The round up of journalists and raids on opposition offices have raised fears that President Robert Mugabe is cracking down after an apparent election loss for his ruling party. A runoff election may be necessary but diplomats now fear Mugabe might declare a state of emergency first to crush opposition. “He’s lost the election, so he’s carrying out a coup,” said an official of the opposition party. (More Zimbabwe stories.)