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American journalist living in Zimbabwe accused of badmouthing African country's president in tweet, faces 20 years in prison
Martha O'Donovan is led into a truck outside court in Harare, Zimbabwe on Saturday.
(PHILIMON BULAWAYO/REUTERS)
DAVID BOROFF
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, November 4, 2017, 1:29 PM
An NYU graduate from New Jersey working as a journalist in Zimbabwe is facing up to 20 years in prison after authorities say she insulted the African country's president on Twitter.
Martha O'Donovan is accused of calling 93-year-old Robert Mugabe a "selfish" and "sick" man in a post that included a photo illustration of the president with a catheter.
The charge of subversion, which accuses O'Donovan of trying to take over the government, carries a sentence of up to two decades in prison. O'Donovan, a Martinsville, N.J., native, is also charged with undermining the authority of or insulting the president.
https://twitter.com/matigary/status/918018778855804933
mmatigari @matigary
We are being led by a selfish & sick man @GomoDubi@tafadzwamarere @Busisa74 @caesarzvayi @mayor_justice@JessieFMajome @ProfJNMoyo @263Chat
"Breaking News: High drama in Zim as police currently preferring a charge of attempting to overthrow Mugabe govt against @Martha_ODonovan," Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights tweeted.
WHO rescinds appointment of Zimbabwe president after backlash
O'Donovan appeared in a Harare courtroom on Saturday as her lawyer lost an attempt to have the subversion charge thrown out. Rose Hanzi had argued that the charge was illegal because police did not inform O'Donovan of it when they took her into custody.
The 25-year-old O'Donovan, who works for a TV station in the Harare area, calls the allegations "baseless and malicious."
"Most Zimbabweans do vent on social media about the state of the country, so if they arrest her for this they might as well arrest all Zimbabweans on social media," Munya Bloggo, who created the hashtag #FreeMartha, told BuzzFeed News. "I don't think anyone is exempt."
It was the first arrest since Mugabe appointed a cybersecurity minister last month, a move that was criticized by activists. Mugabe, in power since 1980, is already running for next year's elections despite poor health and a failing economy.
Zimbabwe dictator's first lady sues over $1.35M diamond ring
Zimbabwean President Robert Muagbe addresses mourners at the Heroes Acre in Harare earlier this month.
(TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI/AP)
"This arrest marks the start of a sinister new chapter in the Zimbabwean government's clampdown on freedom of speech, and the new battleground is social media," Amnesty International's deputy regional director Muleya Mwananyanda said in a statement.
Zimbabwe authorities say they tracked the Oct. 11 tweet to O'Donovan's IP address, and she was taken from her Harare home on Friday morning.
Martha O'Donovan arrives at court in Harare.
(PHILIMON BULAWAYO/REUTERS)
A user of the Twitter account that posted the Mugabe comment has continued to tweet even though O'Donovan is in custody.
O'Donovan works for the Magamba Network, which aims to use "creative forms of youth activism to build a democratic & just Zimbabwe."
“It’s one more violation of our already shrunken human rights space,” Magamba co-founder Tongai Makawa told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s terrible, and unfortunate. We produce satirical content that speak the truth to power. I think the nature of the work that we do at Magamba TV would be like low hanging fruit."
With News Wire Services
Martha O'Donovan is led into a truck outside court in Harare, Zimbabwe on Saturday.
(PHILIMON BULAWAYO/REUTERS)
DAVID BOROFF
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, November 4, 2017, 1:29 PM
An NYU graduate from New Jersey working as a journalist in Zimbabwe is facing up to 20 years in prison after authorities say she insulted the African country's president on Twitter.
Martha O'Donovan is accused of calling 93-year-old Robert Mugabe a "selfish" and "sick" man in a post that included a photo illustration of the president with a catheter.
The charge of subversion, which accuses O'Donovan of trying to take over the government, carries a sentence of up to two decades in prison. O'Donovan, a Martinsville, N.J., native, is also charged with undermining the authority of or insulting the president.
https://twitter.com/matigary/status/918018778855804933
mmatigari @matigaryWe are being led by a selfish & sick man @GomoDubi@tafadzwamarere @Busisa74 @caesarzvayi @mayor_justice@JessieFMajome @ProfJNMoyo @263Chat
"Breaking News: High drama in Zim as police currently preferring a charge of attempting to overthrow Mugabe govt against @Martha_ODonovan," Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights tweeted.
WHO rescinds appointment of Zimbabwe president after backlash
O'Donovan appeared in a Harare courtroom on Saturday as her lawyer lost an attempt to have the subversion charge thrown out. Rose Hanzi had argued that the charge was illegal because police did not inform O'Donovan of it when they took her into custody.
The 25-year-old O'Donovan, who works for a TV station in the Harare area, calls the allegations "baseless and malicious."
"Most Zimbabweans do vent on social media about the state of the country, so if they arrest her for this they might as well arrest all Zimbabweans on social media," Munya Bloggo, who created the hashtag #FreeMartha, told BuzzFeed News. "I don't think anyone is exempt."
It was the first arrest since Mugabe appointed a cybersecurity minister last month, a move that was criticized by activists. Mugabe, in power since 1980, is already running for next year's elections despite poor health and a failing economy.
Zimbabwe dictator's first lady sues over $1.35M diamond ring
Zimbabwean President Robert Muagbe addresses mourners at the Heroes Acre in Harare earlier this month.
(TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI/AP)
"This arrest marks the start of a sinister new chapter in the Zimbabwean government's clampdown on freedom of speech, and the new battleground is social media," Amnesty International's deputy regional director Muleya Mwananyanda said in a statement.
Zimbabwe authorities say they tracked the Oct. 11 tweet to O'Donovan's IP address, and she was taken from her Harare home on Friday morning.
Martha O'Donovan arrives at court in Harare.
(PHILIMON BULAWAYO/REUTERS)
A user of the Twitter account that posted the Mugabe comment has continued to tweet even though O'Donovan is in custody.
O'Donovan works for the Magamba Network, which aims to use "creative forms of youth activism to build a democratic & just Zimbabwe."
“It’s one more violation of our already shrunken human rights space,” Magamba co-founder Tongai Makawa told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s terrible, and unfortunate. We produce satirical content that speak the truth to power. I think the nature of the work that we do at Magamba TV would be like low hanging fruit."
With News Wire Services
