A British newspaper reporter is in prison in Zimbabwe after being charged under newly re-elected President Robert Mugabe's security law.
Mrs Peta Thornycroft of the Daily Telegraphis charged with "publishing false statements likely to be prejudicial to state security" and "incitement to public violence".
The arrest of Mrs Thornycroft (57) in Chimanimani, 300 miles east of Harare, is being seen as a sign of Mr Mugabe's growing paranoia and indifference to international opinion.
She was arrested within two hours of arriving in the town to investigate reports of political violence and a campaign of revenge against the country's opposition.
The Telegraphreports Mrs Thornycroft was taken from a cafe to the police station where she was held for about five hours without any charges being laid.
Later she was told she would be charged with the two offences, which carry a possible two-year prison sentence, and taken to the cells.
She is the first journalist to be charged under the notorious public order and security act since the disputed presidential election.
Mrs Thornycroft has been the Daily Telegraph'sHarare correspondent since last July. She is a Zimbabwean citizen, although she was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
PA