Riot police dispersed opposition supporters who took to the streets to protest against the deteriorating economic situation in the country, despite a ban on demonstrations.
Dozens of people took to the African Unity Square in Harare to express their displeasure after they decided to ignore the ban imposed by the police and the judiciary, said an AFP journalist.
The opposition in Zimbabwe announced the cancellation of demonstrations planned on Friday to protest against the aggravation of economic problems in the country after the judiciary confirmed a police decision to ban them.
The demonstrations would have been the first since those in January to protest against increased fuel prices and violent repression by law enforcement forces.
Zimbabwean police said late on Thursday that demonstrations had been banned. The MDC resorted to the judiciary to challenge the decision, but its request was rejected.
"The court said the demonstration should be canceled," opposition party spokesman Nkululiko Sipanda told AFP.
"The fascist regime denied the right of the Zimbabweans to demonstrate," Tendai Biti, the party´s vice president, told reporters in Harare.
Armed police erected roadblocks around Harare and forced the mechanism to return to the headquarters of the opposition party. Elsewhere in Harare, roadblocks were erected.
Teams of riot police patrol the streets and stop and search pedestrians randomly. On the roads leading to the city center, police set up other roadblocks with long queues and searched cars and buses.
