POLICE detained a leading media rights activist on Tuesday in what analysts said was a new crackdown on critics of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party before a possible general election next year.
The Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) said its director, Andy Moyse, was arrested at his Harare office on charges of distributing subversive material.
On Monday two other MMPZ staffers were detained in Gwanda under tough security laws.
MMPZ said later that Moyse was released after questioning and was not charged.
The group said police seized DVDs calling on the media to contribute to peaceful elections through fair, accurate and balanced coverage of campaigns by political parties.
Moyse told VOA’s violet Gonda that police questioned him about 127 digital video disks his organisation had produced, mainly to promote a more tolerant media.
The Police said they were looking for material related to the 1980s Gukurahundi conflict in the Matebeleland and Midlands regions.
But Moyse said the DVDs produced by his group contained no information the emotive subject and, instead, upon the media to contribute to peaceful elections through fair, accurate and balanced coverage of election campaigns by the media.
"The message urges the people to encourage the media to practice political tolerance, restraint and particularly to condemn violence especially during election period,” he said.
ZRP spokesperson, Wayne Bvudzijena police were still studying the material
"We had information that they had some CDs and DVDs which we believe contain material which could be used to incite members of the public," he said.
"We have seized a substantial number (of CDs and DVDs) which we are studying. These are only preliminary investigations."