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Saturday, January 19, 2002 - Web posted at 2:52:51 pm GMT

HARARE - A 17-year-old opposition activist who was chained to a tree and beaten in north east Zimbabwe on Thursday after his car broke down was allowed a visit from his father and a lawyer in Marondera police station where he is in detention on Saturday midday.

Tom Tawanda Spicer, the son of well-known Zimbabwean filmmaker Edwina Spicer, is an Movement for Democratic Change youth activist.

He was on his way back from the rural areas of Marondera where he and some friends had distributed pamphlets and posters when the car broke down and they were approached by a group of people.

"Tom apparently told the others to run away because he said that he thought he could handle the situation. Later we received a report from usually reliable sources that he had been chained to a tree all night and beaten," his mother said.

Edwina Spicer told Nampa-Sapa she had been informed on Saturday that he was due to appear in court on Monday in Marondera where he will be charged with assault and kidnapping.

Tawanda speaks fluent Shona and often addresses rallies with MDC youth leaders.

New government regulations make it near impossible to openly distribute or display political literature.

ZRP in Marondera claimed Spicer was not in their custody and demanded details of home and work addresses and telephone numbers of the caller. Nampa-Sapa

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