(CNN) - An American woman facing charges of subversion in Zimbabwe will stay in prison for now.
Martha O'Donovan was arrested Friday after sending a tweet about Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe calling him selfish and a sick man.
O'Donovan appeared in court in the capital, Harare, on Saturday. A judge sent her to prison, but said she could appeal for bail in Zimbabwe's highest court.
In court, she called the allegation baseless and malicious. Her attorneys challenged the charge, saying it came as an afterthought.
We are being led by a selfish & sick man @GomoDubi @tafadzwamarere @Busisa74 @caesarzvayi @mayor_justice @JessieFMajome @ProfJNMoyo @263Chat pic.twitter.com/9Q2PDsFrwV
— mmatigari (@matigary) October 11, 2017
The Washington Post reported O'Donovan works for a satirical news channel in Zimbabwe and she was singled out as the author of the critical tweet because of an IP address.
The charge carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
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