Moroccan weekly ordered to pay massive libel damages
Morocco, Politics, 11/1/2005

The sentence of 900,000 dirhams (82,300 euros) in damages and a
fine of 10,000 dirhams (915 euros) that a Casablanca court passed against
the independent weekly "TelQuel" on 24 October 2005 for libelling the head
of a child relief NGO is "out of all proportion," Reporters Without Borders
has said, while accusing the judicial authorities of hounding the weekly in
recent months.

The sentence brings the total in damages and fines which "TelQuel" has been
ordered to pay in libel cases in the past three months to 1,935,000 dirhams
(177,000 euros), the organization noted.

The 24 October sentence was prompted by a report in May that said Touria
Bouabid, the president of a child relief organisation, had been summoned by
the police for questioning about embezzlement within her NGO. The
information came from police sources and was reported in three other
newspapers, in addition to "TelQuel" - "Al Ahdath Al Maghribiya," "Al Ayam"
and "Al Ousbouiya Al Jadida."

All four newspapers published retractions after the information turned out
to be false, but Bouabid brought successful libel actions against all of
them, although the sentences for the others were more lenient. "Al Ousbouiya
Al Jadida" was ordered to pay 30,000 dirhams (2,750 euros), while "Al Ahdath
Al Maghribiya" and "Al Ayam" were ordered to pay 100,000 dirhams (9,150
euros).

A senior member of "TelQuel"'s staff said, "The aim is no longer to educate
us, but simply to bring us down."

In an earlier case, "TelQuel" managing editor Ahmed Reda Benchemsi and news
editor Karim Boukhari were sentenced by a Casablanca court on 15 August to
pay damages of 1 million dirhams (90,000 euros) and a fine of 25,000 dirhams
(2,250 euros) for libelling a parliamentarian. They also received two-month
suspended prison sentences.

The suit was prompted by an article entitled "A Brunette's Secret" in which
Boukhari described the career of a woman identified only by the pseudonym
Asmaa, who began as a "che•kha" (popular dancer), and ended up becoming a
legislator. The suit was brought by parliamentarian Halima Assali, who
assumed the story referred to her.

Previous Stories:
  Journalist launches hunger strike after more than three years in jail under   (10/22/2005)
  Court postpones case of Islamist activist Nadia Yassine   (6/29/2005)
  Appeal court confirms Lmrabet's ten-year ban to practice journalism   (6/24/2005)

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