So If you lead a horse, say his name is Abdelkader Amara, to a watering hole and organize a lavish, alcohol-fueled dinner during an official trip abroad, do you think he will drink ?
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| Africa North |
| Morocco Journalist Convicted of Defaming Islamist Minister |
| 2013-06-18 |
| [An Nahar] A Moroccan editor was handed a two month suspended prison sentence on Monday for defamation, after writing that an Islamist minister had organized a lavish, alcohol-fueled dinner during an official trip abroad. The court in a suburb of Casablanca also fined Youssef Jajili, the director of Al-Aan magazine, 50,000 dirhams (4,500 euros), and ordered him to pay a symbolic dirham to the plaintiff, Minister of Industry and Trade Abdelkader Amara. Jajili, who had been charged with disseminating false information, was not present in court when the ruling was announced, but his lawyer said he would appeal. "This ruling is unjustified. The court did not consider our requests... We will continue to fight for the freedom of expression," Brahim Rachidi told Agence La Belle France Presse. Amara, who belongs to the ruling Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD), filed a complaint after the publication last year of an article claiming he had organised a sumptuous champagne dinner during a trip to Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... that cost 10,000 dirhams of public money. The minister said at the time that the magazine supported its claims with "false witnesses and a false copy of the bill," calling the article "an attack on his honor and dignity" that was aimed at "undermining the PJD." During the five month trial, the editor defended the claims, saying he had a supporting document which he refused to show the court, arguing that to do so would endanger his sources. His lawyer emphasized that the article had not accused the minister of consuming alcohol. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Defamation of an Islamist minister? Kind of boggles the mind. Might have thought it was the buggering of goats, camel or little boys that was discovered in the minister's background that was discovered by the editor? Instead the editor criticized the ruling class for lavish spending on un-Islamic things such as alcohol. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2013-06-18 09:12 |
| #1 The name of the horse is "Maine Dash Ta Fame" So If you lead a horse, say his name is Abdelkader Amara, to a watering hole and organize a lavish, alcohol-fueled dinner during an official trip abroad, do you think he will drink ? |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2013-06-18 01:14 |