(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned “disproportionate” measures taken by a Monrovia court, on 4 March 2005, against the “Forum” newspaper. The court ordered the offices of the privately-owned weekly closed and issued an arrest warrant for the paper’s managing editor and other editorial staff for “contempt of court” after they allegedly ignored several earlier summonses. […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned “disproportionate” measures taken by a Monrovia court, on 4 March 2005, against the “Forum” newspaper. The court ordered the offices of the privately-owned weekly closed and issued an arrest warrant for the paper’s managing editor and other editorial staff for “contempt of court” after they allegedly ignored several earlier summonses. The paper’s offices are to remain closed until it pays the US$200 fine ordered by the court.
“Closing a newspaper and issuing warrants for the arrest of all its journalists are serious actions that are clearly disproportionate in a libel case,” RSF said. “‘Forum”s offices must be reopened unconditionally and the arrest warrants must be withdrawn. The Liberian courts should abstain from such dramatic action, especially in an election period, as it can only solicit universal disapproval.”
Reached by telephone, “Forum” managing editor Augustus Fallah told RSF that he never received any summons and suspected the court’s decision was “politically motivated.” He said he was trying to raise the sum needed to reopen the newspaper’s office and that, in the meantime, staff were working from home. The 8 March edition of the paper appeared as usual.
On 5 January, a libel suit was brought against “Forum” by Melee Kermue, a Senate candidate from central Liberia and the director Hope International’s Liberian office, over a report headlined “Wanted Hope International Boss Escapes Justice from the US”. The report claimed that Kermue left the United States as US authorities were about to bring charges against him in a drug trafficking case. Kermue is seeking $US2 million in damages (see IFEX alert of 7 January 2005).
