The Zimbabwe Police have released detained MDC members of the opposition party following pressure from lawyers for Zimbabwe's MDC party and a court ruling issued by the Harare High Court.

Mass arrests were made on Friday at the opposition party headquarters. Most of the detained had come into Harare escaping the mounting violence in the countryside by members of the ruling party following the March 29 elections.

The raids sent a powerful message that longtime leader President Robert Mugabe intends to hold onto power despite a growing global clamor for him to step aside and rising violence at home.

While the opposition has won control of Parliament, results from the presidential election still have not been released. Independent observers say that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe, though did not secure an outright majority necessary to avoid a runoff. Tsvangirai insists he did, and Mugabe has stayed silent.

European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday put pressure on China, African nations and others to impose an arms embargo against Zimbabwe to prevent Mugabe's regime from making further arrests of opposition members.

Pressure on Zimbabwe

President George W Bush on Tuesday urged Zimbabwe's neighbors to step up pressure on the government of Robert Mugabe.

The violence and intimidation is simply unacceptable said Bush as he called on intervention of Zimbabwe neighbors.

The United States and other governments have been calling on Mugabe to release the results of the March 29 presidential election.

The opposition in Zimbabwe has accused Mugabe of withholding the results while he plots how to keep power.

He stopped short of saying that Mugabe had lost. But he added that it is clear that the country voted for change.

Zimbabwe China George W. Bush