Expelled Journalist's Wife Forced to Flee Zimbabwe

Dolores Cortes Meldrum, the wife of the Guardian journalist Andrew Meldrum, who was illegally expelled from Zimbabwe last month, fled the country yesterday fearing she would face the same fate as her husband. She is due to arrive in London today.

The Zimbabwe immigration service this week revoked her residency permit and served a notice declaring her to be a prohibited person.

Guardian lawyers protested, saying she had been issued with a residency permit independently from her husband and it was unlawful to deport her because of him.

She was given an ultimatum to appear at the offices of the Zimbabwe immigration service yesterday afternoon, but pre-empted any punitive measures by the service by taking a flight to Johannesburg.

Meldrum, who is now in London after reporting from Zimbabwe for 23 years, was illegally manhandled out of the country by police and security agents on May 16, in spite of three court orders prohibiting his expulsion.