Zimbabwean police arrested opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the second time in a week after preventing him from attending a campaign rally for the upcoming presidential run-off vote on June 27. The Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition party, claims that President Robert Mugabe is trying to hinder Tsvangirai's campaign to maintain his hold on power. Tsvangirai was released from police custody in Esigodini, located 40 km southeast of Bulawayo, a few hours after being stopped at a roadblock. The party criticized his detention as a desperate and shameful act, urging the regime to allow Tsvangirai to fulfill his mandate to restore the people of Zimbabwe's dignity. The police have prohibited several planned campaign rallies due to concerns about the safety of party leaders. The opposition party has stated that they will take legal action in the High Court to prevent police interference in the campaign. Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena accused the MDC of causing an incident on Friday by crashing through a roadblock. Tsvangirai, who defeated Mugabe in a March 29 election but did not secure enough votes to avoid a second ballot, was detained and questioned by police for eight hours on Wednesday. On Thursday, police detained five U.S. and two British diplomats after they visited victims of political violence. Relief agencies have also been barred from operating in Zimbabwe, which is facing economic hardship. U.S. Ambassador James McGee, who was detained on Thursday, accused the government of using food aid to gain votes. He stated that the regime is desperate to stay in power and will resort to anything. Washington has placed the blame for the diplomats' detention on Mugabe's government. The United States and Britain believe that Zimbabwe is attempting to intimidate Tsvangirai's followers. The French foreign ministry expressed deep concern over the intimidation and violence occurring in Zimbabwe. The opposition claims that 65 people have died in violence since the initial round of voting. Mugabe is pointing fingers at his opponents for the unrest. In response to allegations of opposition support, Mugabe's government halted the operations of international aid organizations in Zimbabwe. Britain and the European Union have called for the ban to be lifted. U.N. officials expressed concern that the suspension of aid would lead to increased suffering, while CARE warned that millions of aid-dependent Zimbabweans were now at risk. EU aid commissioner Louis Michel lamented the uncertain future facing hundreds of thousands of people who rely on aid from the European Commission and other organizations for survival. Zimbabwe, once a prosperous country, has experienced a decline in food production since 2000 due to the government's land redistribution program, resulting in chronic food shortages and reliance on handouts and imports. Mugabe attributes the downfall of the previously thriving economy to sanctions imposed by Western nations. The opposition, on the other hand, accuses him of destroying Zimbabwe due to poor leadership. The Southern African Development Community, which consists of 14 nations including Zimbabwe, is dispatching observers to oversee the upcoming run-off election.