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Managing editor of the weekly "Le Républicain" newspaper, Mamane Abou, was released on bail by the court of criminal appeal in Niamey on January 6, after spending two months in a prison at Say, 56 km outside the capital, for libel. He had been sentenced to six months in prison for "criminal defamation" against the Prime Minister, Hama Amadou and his former Finance Minister, Ali Badjo Gamatié.

The following is an update of a MISA/MFWA Alert of November 11, 2003.

On January 6 2004, managing editor of the weekly "Le Républicain" newspaper,
Mamane Abou, was released on bail by the court of criminal appeal in Niamey,
Niger, after spending two months in a prison at Say, 56 km outside the capital,
for libel.

It is recalled that on November 7, 2003, the Niamey regional tribunal at a
closed, secret trial, sentenced the journalist to six months in prison for
"criminal defamation" against the Prime Minister, Hama Amadou and his former
Finance Minister, Ali Badjo Gamatié. The court also imposed two separate fines
of CFA300,000 francs (about US$559) for cost and CFA10 million francs (about
US$18,622) in damages on Mamane Abou.

The July 17-23 edition (Issue No. 582) edition of the "Le Republican" newspaper
had published an article which reported that the government made irregular
expenses for various contracts, to the tune of CFA4 billion francs.

Most of those payments were said to have gone to businessmen close to the Prime
Minister. The newspaper also published a number of documents, allegedly leaked
from the Public Treasury, to corroborate the claims made in the article.

According to Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) sources in Niger, on
December 23, the court, on appeal, reduced Mamane Abou's sentence to a
four-month suspended term. The fines for cost and damages were also reduced to
CFA100,000 and CFA 2 million respectively. Abou was, however, held in
provisional detention pending a second criminal charge brought against him by
the Prime Minister for "conspiring with an employee [of the Public Treasury] to
steal, and for receipt of [stolen] confidential documents."

Although the January 6 decision has overturned the provisional detention order,
Abou must now await his fate in the second charge of stealing confidential
documents.

APPEAL

MFWA and MISA appeal to the government of Prime Minister M. Hama Amadou to
immediately and unconditionally discontinue all further charges pending against
M. Abou for allegedly receiving "confidential documents."

We also urge the government to repeal the relevant sections of the December 20,
1999 law on press freedom in Niger, namely, law 99-67, which criminalize the
right to freedom of information and expression, contrary to Article 19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Enquiries:

Media Foundation for West Africa
Prof Kwame Karikari
Executive Director (MFWA)
P. O. Box LG 730
Legon, Ghana
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 233-21-24 24 70
Fax: 233-21-22 10 84
Web: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

Enquiries:

Media Institute of Southern Africa
Zoe Titus
Program Coordinator: Media Freedom Monitoring
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Web: http://www.misa.org

Ends

PROMOTING MEDIA DIVERSITY . PLURALISM . SELF-SUFFICIENCY . INDEPENDENCE

**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole responsibility of
MISA**