Supporters of Zimbabwe's opposition have accused gangs of ruling Zanu-PF loyalists of carrying out brutal attacks against people who "voted for the wrong party" in the election of March 29.

They told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists have been beaten, attacked with axes and their homes burnt.

Their statements came as almost 200 opposition supporters detained in a raid on the MDC headquarters on Friday were released from police custody.

"All the 185 have just been released without being charged. I presume they are all now going home," Alec Muchadehama, MDC lawyer, said.

Police said they had been seeking suspects in a series of arson attacks in the north of the country.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (Zimrights) said on Tuesday that at least 10 people have been killed in politically motivated attacks and hundreds of others more forced to flee since the polls.

Zanu-PF, the party of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, is facing a strong challenge to its 28-year grip on power from the MDC, headed by Morgan Tsvangirai.

'Lucky to survive'

Jonothan Marikita, who was a parliamentary candidate for the MDC in the elections, told Al Jazeera that he was attacked with axes.

"They left me unconscious, I couldn't even talk. I was just lucky to survive, even now I don't know how I came here," he said from his hospital bed in Harare, where he was recovering from injuries sustained in an axe attack.

"I have no home, they even went ahead and burnt about 11 houses of MDC people, most of those are now homeless.

"They have nowhere to go, nothing to eat. This is being sponsored by the senior Zanu-PF officials in that district."

Takesure Chingamawhe, an MDC supporter in the same hospital, said that he was also attacked by what appeared to be a Zanu-PF gang. 

"I saw Zanu-PF youth come to my house at about midnight. They woke me up and ordered me to go with them," he said.

"They kept asking me who did I vote for? I told them MDC. They laughed and said they were going to have to kill me. They beat me and luckily I escaped."

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights says its members have treated at least 323 victims of violence since April 1, with injuries ranging from bruises to fractures and broken ribs.

Run-off fears

More than one month after the presidential election there has been no official result released.

Tsvangirai says that he won the poll outright, but Mugabe's government says a second round run-off will be needed.

"If there is a run-off, what is of grave concern is that all these displaced people will not be able to go back to their home areas to vote," Kucaca Phulu, Zimrights chairman, said.

"We condemn the state for the lackadaisical approach to this violence."

Zimbabwe's election commission will meet presidential candidates on Thursday for a "verification and collation exercise" aimed at finally releasing the results.

George Chiweshe, Zimbabwe's election commission chief, said that the candidates or their representatives would be asked to compare their results gathered at individual polling stations with the results compiled by the electoral commission and to agree on the final results.

PHOTO CAPTION 

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, supporters are taken by police from outside the Harvest House, the headquarters of the MDC, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Friday April 25, 2008.

Al-Jazeera