An American woman has been arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly insulting President Robert Mugabe on Twitter.
Martha O’Donovan is charged with subversion and insulting the president for allegedly calling Mr Mugabe a “sick man” in a tweet, according to the Associated Press. The subversion charges carry up to 20 years in prison.
Ms O’Donovan is accused of tweeting “We are being led by a selfish man and sick man," and posting a photo suggesting Mr Mugabe is surviving on a catheter. The 25-year-old has called the allegations “baseless and malicious" in a statement.
The New York University graduate works for social media outlet Magamba TV, which describes itself as “Zimbabwe's leading producer of cutting edge, political satire and comedy shows”. The company is now using its Twitter account to post updates on Ms O’Donovan’s trial, along with the hashtag “#FreeMartha”.