Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga 'arrested'

Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga has tweeted that she has been arrested in the capital, Harare.

The AFP news agency reports that one of its photographers witnessed the arrest. It says that she, along with another person, was taken by police while protesting in a suburb of the city. The other detainee has been identified as Julie Barnes.

The writer tweeted a picture of the two of them after they were picked up.

Security forces have been patrolling the streets ahead of a planned anti-government demonstration and Harare and other major cities are largely deserted.

Dangarembga, who just this week was included on the Booker Prize long-list for her novel This Mournable Body, is known for her criticism of the government.

The government has warned that demonstrations will be treated as insurrection and severely dealt with.

The opposition politician who called the protest is in detention, charged with inciting violence.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Hannah Mentz