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Senegal: Editor sentenced 6 months for defaming Wade's Chief of Staff
Saturday, 28 August 2010 23:43
Reporters Without Borders is very disappointed by the six-month jail sentence which a Dakar court has imposed
on Abdourahmane Diallo, the editor of the Express News daily, for defaming President Abdoulaye Wade's chief of staff, Pape Samba Mboup. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Diallo, who was tried in absentia, but he has not yet been detained."There are two distinct aspects to this matter," Reporters Without Borders said. "One is whether the newspaper was in the wrong. The other is what penalty should be imposed. It is clear that the comments published by Express News, which let itself be used in an exchange of insults between political rivals, were defamatory. But does that mean its editor has to go to prison?"
The press freedom organisation added: "This sentence is inappropriate, unjust and counter-productive. To prevent this kind of incident from recurring, the media law needs to be quickly amended in order to decriminalise press offences, something we have been urging the Senegalese authorities to do for years."
The Dakar criminal court that had tried Diallo in absentia finally issued its verdict on 26 August, after two postponements. It imposed a six-month jail term on the editor, together with a suspended sentence of an additional 18 months in prison, and ordered the newspaper to pay Mboup 20 million CFA francs (30,000 euros) in damages. The court also ordered the local press to publish its decision.
Diallo did not appear in court and some local journalists claimed that he never received a summons to appear. The newspaper's lawyer said he would appeal on the grounds that the verdict was issued in the absence of the defendants.
The case was brought over comments about Mboup that Express News published on 23 and 24 June. The source was a group of young ruling party members who support Farba Senghor, the head of a faction opposed Mboup, but the newspaper published them as if they were statements of fact.
The newspaper's front-page headline on 23 June was: "Pape Samba Mboup is a political mercenary still in the pay of the person with full pockets." The next day it ran the headline: "Mboup is seen as a permanent danger for the regime and violates state secrets." It added: "Pape Samba Mboup is a drunkard and a conspirator, and is not credible."
Press Release: Reporters sans Frontières
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Comments
my advice to you is try to be God fearing and be honest to yourself at all cost and change your bad ways and nasty character.You know what I mean.Many of you here if we can see face to face you will be like wet Chicken.Honesty makes a decent living.
I did not know that you are deeply in love with yahya. How old are you? Child dont distroy your life. Go study and one day you will meet a good man instead of living in fantasy. I really feel pity for you. I hope your parents are reading your unhealthy love for yaya.
You know what,go and lick your pigs and eat their shits that you do in daily basis and that is why you are so ignorant and idiotic clown that knows nothing at all.You are nothing but A DOG PIG SHIT. You have no respect for your own parents and not to talk about Gambians.
You know what keep on opening your mouth for your PIGS AND DOGS TO PISS in.Nasty clown.You know what you are lucky that I am fasting.
I want to make it clear to you,you are not a Gambian and have no right to abuse our President that we have voted in and if you respect your parents and love them,then mark your words PLEASE.
I blame the editor for entertaining the idiots here in jollofnews to use abusive words and grade them as good comments and if I fire back,he blocked me and ask me to change my name.This exactly what he did that I change my name righteousness to Jammeh 4 life.
In the case of AMADOU SAMBA suing the FREEDOM NEWS PAPER, i just wonder how comes Mr.Samba thinks that he should remain beyond reproach when he owns a newspaper that is exclusively devoted to singing the praises of that tyrannical regime in Banjul? You can't have it both ways Mr.Samba! If you can't stand the heat don't stay close to the fire!
African leaders tend to always have a bad relation with the media but that will never stop journalist from performing their duties to society.
No journalist is above the law and they should be severely punish like any other person before the law.
if you do not have information about something, it is better if you refrain from it.
For Your Information, Senegal got democracy and freedom long before Wade came, that is in fact the result of his election...This, unlike Gambia, where you are being preyed by your own leader...
Democracy is a continuos process, news like this are part and parcel of efforts to strengthen a democratic culture.
Indeed, we value democracy, that is why the Senegalese people are ever ready to challenge authority along the lines of the law. Unlike you we belive in our judiciary as Senegalese are not sell outs... the ordinary people of senegal comes first...
So please know what to say before you utter a word next time...
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