Amnesty calls for release of opposition leader

The human rights group, Amnesty International, has called for the unconditional release of a leading opposition figure and a journalist.

In a statement, it said Daher Ahmed Farah, president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (Mouvement pour le renouveau democratique et le developpement - MRD) and director of the party's paper 'Le Renouveau djiboutien', was jailed on 9 July on charges of libel against the army chief of staff and an army women's folklore group.

"Public officials who consider themselves defamed have the right of reply and if that is insufficient they can legitimately resort to legal actions to defend their reputation," Amnesty said.

"But this should not involve, as it has done in Daher Ahmed Farah’s case, detention by the police, arbitrary refusal of bail, state prosecution and prison sentences."

Djibouti's foreign ministry spokesman Siad Dualleh told IRIN that the case was still before the courts. "We should allow for due process to take its course, before any comments," he said.

Amnesty pointed out that the Djibouti constitution guarantees freedom of the press, and the country ratified the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects freedom of expression, last year.