Bridgewater Woman Facing 20 Years Over Tweet​​ Is Free 'For Now'

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A Bridgewater local is a free woman "for now" after she was arrested and facing 20 years in prison for an alleged tweet about the president of Zimbabwe, according to multiple reports.

Martha O'Donovan 25, a native of the Martinsville section of Bridgewater Township was arrested on Nov. 3 at her home in Harare, Africa over a tweet calling President Robert Mugabe a "sick man" along with a photo accusing him of using a catheter last month, according to multiple reports.

O'Donovan was released by the High Court on Thursday, after prosecutors were not prepared to provide a trial date, according to the nytimes.com.

Her passport was returned to her and she can travel at any time, O'Donovan's lawyer Obey Shava told The Associated Press.

After the ruling O'Donovan smiled and told reporters outside the courtroom that she had "no comment at the moment," according to CNN.

She could still be summoned back to court if the prosecution feels it has more evidence against her, Shava told The Associated Press.

O'Donovan had been with subversion and with undermining the authority of or insulting the president.

She has denied the allegations, calling them are "baseless and malicious."

O'Donovan graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan High School and works for the Magamba Network, according to her Facebook page.

She also manages MAR's Bar, a pop-up cocktail bar in Harare, Zimbabwe.

While attending NYU, O'Donovan studied the politics of human rights and development in African cities where she received a prestigious Fulbright award that took her to Zambia to research women in nightlife there, according to the New York Post.

• See Related: Bridgewater Woman Faces 20 Years In Prison Over Tweet
• See Related: Bridgewater Woman Released From Prison, Facing Charges Over Tweet

(Image via Shutterstock)

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