Zimbabwean police detained opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday for the second time this week after blocking him from reaching a campaign rally for the June 27 presidential run-off vote.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change accuses President Robert Mugabe of trying to sabotage Tsvangirai's campaign in order to preserve his 28-year hold on power.
Tsvangirai was released from the police station at Esigodini, 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Zimbabwe's second largest city Bulawayo, a few hours after being stopped by armed police at a roadblock.
The party called Tsvangirai's detention "a shameless and desperate act".
"The regime must let the president do that which the people of Zimbabwe have mandated him and the MDC, to help restore the dignity of the people of Zimbabwe," it said in a statement.
It said police had banned several planned campaign rallies because authorities could not guarantee the safety of party leaders, adding that it would lodge a High Court action to prevent police interference in the campaign.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena blamed the opposition for the incident on Friday, saying the MDC convoy crashed through a roadblock.
Tsvangirai, who beat Mugabe in a March 29 election but failed to win the majority needed to avoid a second ballot, was detained on Wednesday and questioned by police for eight hours.
On Thursday, police stopped and held five U.S. and two British diplomats for several hours after they visited victims of political violence. Zimbabwe also barred relief agencies from doing work in the country, suffering economic ruin.
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