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Alert

Court orders four-month suspended sentences for two editors

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 5 March 2007, the Bamako Commune II County Court sentenced managing editor Diaby Makoro Camara, and editor-in-chief Oumar Bouaré, of "Kabako", a privately-owned, monthly newspaper, to a four-month suspended sentence for defaming Mariamantia Diarra, Minister of Planning and the Interior.

Camara and Bouaré were ordered to pay an amount of 50,000 FCFA (approx. US$99) in damages.

The Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that the court, presided over by Justice Oumar Sogoba, ordered the managing editor to publish the verdict in the "Kabako" newspaper and other newspapers.

In issue No. 395 of the paper, dated 22 December 2006, it was alleged that Minister Diarra threatened his ex-fiancée using a dozen policemen. According to the article written by Bouaré, the Minister felt he had been betrayed by his ex-fiancée, who had left him for another man, and thus surrounded the woman's house with policemen with intentions to assault her.

On 19 February 2007, Minister Diarra, who was not happy with the publication, brought defamation charges against Camara and Bouaré. In the writ, he asked the court to clear his name and demanded payment of a token sum in damages.