Newspaper director sentenced to six months in jail

The director of an independent weekly newspaper in Niger has been sentenced to six months in prison for defamation after running an article that accused the government of awarding several contracts to its supporters without going through a competitive bidding process.

Mamane Abou, director of the privately owned weekly newspaper Le Republicain, was arrested on 5 November and sentenced to six months in jail and fines totaling US $18,000 at a secret trial two days later.

The offending article was published on 17 July and accused the government of making irregular payments worth about four billion CFA francs (US $7 million) to certain suppliers with close links to Prime Minister Hama Amadou.

The New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) and Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) both condemned the fact that neither Abou, nor his lawyers were present at the trial.

The CPJ protested at the way Abou had been treated and called for his "immediate, unconditional release."

It expressed concern at "the deteriorating state of press freedom in Niger," noting that last month Ibrahim Souley, director of the weekly newspaper L'Enqueteur had been given a one-year suspended prison sentence after running an article which quoted a businessman from eastern Niger as saying the government was awarding too many contracts to his rivals from the east.

Reporters Sans Frontieres said Abou's condemnation at a secret trial was "nonsensical." It added: "This journalist was just doing his job and nothing justifies such a stiff sentence. Besides, legal procedures have not been respected."

The main opposition parties in Niger and various journalists' associations in the poor landlocked country have also condemned Abou's arrest and incarceration.

The CPJ noted that the newspaper director could still face a second trial and further penalties for possessing confidential government documents.