Jail terms in presidential defamation case

A court in Togo fined three men and sentenced them to varying jail terms on Friday, after their conviction for defaming President Gnassingbe Eyadema by stating that he was among the world's richest people. Secretary-General of the opposition Parti des Travailleurs, Claude Ameganvi, and Julien Ayi, publishing editor of the Nouvel Echo newspaper, were each sentenced to four months in prison and fined the equivalent of US $148. Alphonse Nevame Klu, editor in chief of the Nouvel Echo, was sentenced (in his absence) to a six-month jail term and a fine equivalent to $148. The three had been charged with "disturbing the public order and threatening the honour of the head of state". The Nouvel Echo article over which they were charged said Eyadema had a fortune of US $4.5 billion, citing Forbes Magazine, which publishes a list of the world's richest people every year, as its source. Forbes denied that Eyadema was ever listed on its 2002 annual ranking of the world's wealthiest people. During questioning, Ayi said Ameganvi was the author of the article but the opposition leader denied it. Lawyers for Ameganvi criticised the verdict, saying the charges were unfair and that they would appeal the verdict.