Charges against Tsitsi Dangarembga must be dropped, argue writers

The Zimbabwean novelist, shortlisted for this year's Booker prize for This Mournable Body, is accused of intending to incite public violence in Harare

Authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Carol Ann Duffy and Philippe Sands have called for charges against the Booker prize-shortlisted writer Tsitsi Dangarembga to be dropped ahead of her latest appearance in a Zimbabwe court this week, saying that any other conclusion would be an outrage".

The Zimbabwean novelist was arrested during anti-corruption protests in Harare and charged last month with intention to incite public violence. She was freed on bail and required to appear before the court on 18 September. The hearing has been delayed twice, after prosecutors failed to appear on both occasions, with a new date set for 7 October.