(RSF/IFEX) – On 9 February 2005, the Douala Appeals Court granted a provisional release to Jules Koum Koum, editor-in-chief of the independent bi-weekly “Le Jeune Observateur”. The journalist has spent the past month in very harsh conditions in New Bell prison, serving a six-month sentence for libel. He is expected to be released as soon […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 9 February 2005, the Douala Appeals Court granted a provisional release to Jules Koum Koum, editor-in-chief of the independent bi-weekly “Le Jeune Observateur”. The journalist has spent the past month in very harsh conditions in New Bell prison, serving a six-month sentence for libel. He is expected to be released as soon as the legal formalities are completed.
Reached by telephone, Koum told RSF the support and campaigning on his behalf by international organisations and local journalists and news media had been important in securing his early release. Without it, he would almost certainly have had to wait much longer, he said.
RSF said the Cameroonian authorities must learn their lesson from Koum’s case and ensure that the press is not faced with such a shameful ordeal again. “We must remain vigilant because ‘Le Jeune Observateur’ will have to appear in court again in other libel cases,” the organisation warned.
“Le Jeune Observateur” is to appear in court on 28 February to face another libel action from Compagnie professionnelle des assurances (CPA), the insurance company whose lawsuits have been responsible for Koum’s imprisonment. The company filed a total of three related complaints over an article by Koum, but the judge refused to hear them in the same trial. Another lawsuit brought against the newspaper by former defence minister and current Foreign Minister Laurent Esso is due to be heard on 5 April.
