Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NIAMEY72
2009-02-12 15:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Niamey
Cable title:  

Niger: Journalist Convicted, His Attorney Jailed

Tags:  PGOV PHUM SOCI KCOR KPAO NG 
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RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHNM #0072 0431532
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121532Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4836
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHDC
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0777
UNCLAS NIAMEY 000072 

DEPT FOR AF/W DENNISON, AF/RSA, DRL/AE, AND AF/PDPA LISENBY

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KCOR KPAO NG
SUBJECT: Niger: Journalist Convicted, His Attorney Jailed

REF: Niamey 0031

UNCLAS NIAMEY 000072

DEPT FOR AF/W DENNISON, AF/RSA, DRL/AE, AND AF/PDPA LISENBY

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KCOR KPAO NG
SUBJECT: Niger: Journalist Convicted, His Attorney Jailed

REF: Niamey 0031


1. On February 6, a Nigerien court sentenced Mr. Boussada Ben Ali,
publication director of independent weekly newspaper "L'Action" to
three months in prison. Police arrested Ben Ali on January 23 on
charges of "divulging information likely to undermine public order."
The charge stemmed from an article published in the January 13
edition of "L'Action," which openly questioned the finance
minister's awarding of a government contract. The same article also
reported that the minister had diverted inappropriately funds from
an oil agreement between Niger and China (reftel).


2. Yahouza Amani, Ben Ali's attorney, publically denounced the
severity of the verdict, and filed an appeal. Based on his
criticism of the sentence, the presiding judge filed charges against
Amani, and on February 7 police arrested him for "bringing discredit
upon a judicial decision." His arrest sparked considerable public
criticism and authorities released him the following day.

3. Comment: Ben Ali's case is the latest in a series of arrests and
prosecutions of journalists based on Niger's criminal libel
statutes; however, the charges made by "L'Action" seem to have
struck a nerve with GON officials or perhaps officials have learned
from past cases that responding to allegations is in the
Government's best interest, as this time the charges resulted in
public statements of denial and the release of evidence that the GON
claims proves the allegations unfounded. Usually, the GON does not
respond to such claims, but simply prosecutes the journalists
involved. In addition, the minister has attempted to distance
himself from the prosecution of Ben Ali, claiming that he did not
personally file a complaint against the journalist, but rather that
it was initiated by the public prosecutor's office.

ALLEN