CAGED American citizen, Martha O’Donovan, who is currently held at the Chikurubi Female Prison following her arrest for allegedly insulting President Robert Mugabe in a tweet, yesterday approached the High Court seeking to be released on bail.
BY CHARLES LAITON
O’Donovan (25) was arrested last Friday on allegations of insulting Mugabe and attempting to subvert a constitutionally-elected government, a charge which carries up to 20 years in jail if one is convicted.
The State alleges that O’Donovan systematically sought to incite political unrest through the expansion and use of sophisticated network on social media platform as well as running accounts namely Magamba Network Trust, @matigary and @openparlyzw.
The American woman is also being accused of posting a message using username @matigary, which read: “We are being led by a selfish and sick man.”
It is alleged the message was accompanied by a photo showing that Mugabe was surviving on a catheter.
In the court application, her lawyers, from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, argue that she was not a flight risk and that the State’s case was premised on a bald allegation.
O’Donovan initially appeared in court for initial hearing on Saturday last week with her lawyer Obey Shava, who made an application challenging the legality of her arrest.
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However, her freedom bid was thrown out by Harare magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta, who remanded her in custody to November 15, prompting her lawyers to seek recourse at the High Court.
