Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has appeared in court, with a swollen face and cuts to his head, two days after his arrest at an anti-government rally.
The rally had been prohibited by police. One man was killed in the violence as police and security forces broke it up.
The Movement for Democratic Change leader was brought to the court in central Harare in the back of a large open police truck with at least 20 other opposition activists.
The group, which includes four MPs and several other senior opposition officials, was expected to face charges arising out of the attempts to hold the rally at a Harare township last Sunday.
The court was cleared immediately after the group arrived.
Mr Tsvangirai and his fellow detainees were brought to Harare magistrates court after a high court judge ordered that he be given access to his lawyers and then either brought to court or released.
Rights groups said he and some of the others who were arrested had been tortured in custody.
These accusations prompted international condemnation of President Robert Mugabe and his government.
Political tension
Political tension, which has been brewing over the soaring cost of living and Mr Mugabe's increasingly controversial rule, erupted on Sunday when riot squads fought opposition youths in the capital for the second time in a month.
The 83-year-old leader has been in power since the country gained independence in 1980.
Critics say Mr Mugabe has mismanaged Zimbabwe's economy and violated human rights.
The once-prosperous nation is crippled by inflation, an unemployment rate in excess of 80% and chronic shortages of food and fuel.
Mr Mugabe has blamed the problems on sabotage from Britain and other Western nations.
Mr Tsvangirai was acquitted in October 2004 of plotting to assassinate President Mugabe and seize power before the 2002 presidential elections.
His arrest and trial were widely seen as political. The Harare government only withdrew a remaining treason charge last August.
