 New
York, November 13, 2002-Paul Kamara, the founding editor of one of
Sierra Leone's leading newspaper, For Di People, was sentenced
yesterday to six months in prison for defaming a local judge, said sources
in the capital, Freetown.
Kamara was taken to Freetown's Pa Demba Road Prison on November 12 after
the High Court convicted him on 18 counts of criminal libel under sections
26 and 27 of Sierra Leone's Public Order Act. The journalist was also
fined US$2,100 for nine of the 18 counts, sources reported. On the remaining
counts, Kamara can either pay a US$1,350 fine or serve an additional three
months in jail.
The court also recommended that the government ban his newspaper for six
months. Authorities are expected to close the publication soon.
The verdict against Kamara comes almost a year after
prominent appeals court judge Tolla Thompson accused Kamara of writing
libelous articles in For Di People criticizing the judge's management
of Sierra Leone's soccer association, which Thompson currently heads.
In addition to being a journalist, Kamara owns a popular local soccer
team.
According to staff members at For Di People, Kamara appealed the
ruling to the Supreme Court, where he will dispute the legality of the
charges against him, as well as the High Court's authority to try the
case. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments later this week.
Meanwhile, Kamara's staff has vowed to defy any ban and to continue publishing
the award-winning daily.
"Journalists in Sierra Leone have endured terrible violence in recent
years, including the death of 15 of their colleagues," said CPJ executive
director Ann Cooper. "It is outrageous that authorities are now imprisoning
journalists simply because of what they write."
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