June 29, 2009

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AFP) – Three Moroccan newspapers were ordered to pay a total of three million dirhams (270,000 euros) Monday to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, who had sued them for writing critical articles.

A court in Casablanca ruled against the three independent, Arabic dailies -- Al Jarida Al Aoula, Al Ahdat Al Maghribia and Al Massae - and fined five of their staff 100,000 dirhams each.

The damages were far less than the 90 million dirhams (around eight million euros) that Kadhafi sought when he launched the legal action, claiming the papers were guilty of "attacks on the dignity of a head of state".

But they were strongly condemned by the Moroccan press union.

The court fined Ali Anouzla, director of Al Jarida Al Aoula, Mohamed Brini, director of Al Ahdat Al Maghribia and one of his journalists, Mokhtar Labzioui, and Rachid Nini, director of Al Massae, and Youssef Meskine, a journalist from the same paper.

Anouzla vowed to continue writing articles critical of the Libyan regime and said he would appeal the verdict.

He blasted the court's ruling as "a political verdict handed down for the Libyan leader by a justice system that lacks independence".

"We are going to lodge an appeal, but we will not be prevented from continuing to criticise the Libyan regime," Anouzla added.

The National Union of the Moroccan Press staged a demonstration following the trial outside the Casablanca court.

Journalists held a banner calling for "the justice system to respect freedom of expression and stop attacks aimed at muzzling the press".