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Weekly ordered to pay massive libel damages for second time in three months

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(RSF/IFEX) - 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 press freedom organisation noted.

"We hope these sentences will be considerably reduced on appeal as the Moroccan media should not be choked to death by exorbitant libel damages awards," Reporters Without Borders added.

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 Ousbouîya 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 Ousbouîya 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 "cheïkha" (popular dancer), and ended up becoming a legislator. The suit was brought by parliamentarian Halima Assali, who assumed the story referred to her.