A US citizen, Martha O’Donovan has been arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly insulting President Robert Mugabe on Twitter. In a tweet, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) group said Ms O’Donovan the manager of Magamba TV, an online-based satirical video outlet was the first person to be arrested on such grounds since the cyber ministry was formed.
Police arrested Ms O’Donovan during a morning raid at her home in Harare, seizing electronic devices, including computers and a phone. Police is yet to charge her but they alleged that “tweets emanating from her IT address are insulting to the president” referring to some tweets sent from Ms O’Donovan’s account which referred to a Goblin, whose step-son recently bought a Rolls Royce, but said that Mr Mugabe was not mentioned.
Zimbabwe does not yet have a cyber-crime law, so if O’Donovan is charged it is likely to be under the presidential insult law.
Source: News agencies
