Liberia: Newspapers called before court

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To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), [email protected]

April 14, 2004

Fax letter to: 011 231 226076

President Charles Gyude Bryant
Chairman of the National Transitional
Government of Liberia
Executive Mansion
Capitol Hill
Monrovia, Liberia

Dear President Bryant,

We have been deeply alarmed to learn of the issue of a writ of summons by
the Civil Law Court in Monrovia on the management and editorial staff of
four newspapers, namely, the National Chronicle, Monrovia Guardian, The
Forum and The Heritage, for their editors and certain staff members to
appear before Judge Winston O Henries in April.

It appears that the court issued the writ after Labour Minister Lavella
Supuwood filed a suit against the journalists, claiming "damages from wrong
for defamation of character and injury to reputation."

It is understood that the minister's action comes in the wake of a series of
publications by the newspapers chronicling instances and names of people who
allegedly committed heinous crimes against the people of Liberia during the
country's bloody 14-year civil war.

Minister Supuwood who now represents the biggest rebel group, the Liberians
United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), on the National Transitional
Government of Liberia (NTGL) is one of those whose names have been
repeatedly cited in the publications.

The World Press Freedom Committee and its vast affiliated membership is
deeply disturbed that court action has been taken against the newspapers and
their staffs for publishing material which plays a crucial role in the
reconstruction and reconciliation processes that have been set in motion in
your country since the tyrant Charles Taylor was speeded into exile. These
processes require the fullest disclosure of the atrocities that were
committed against the people during the civil war and, it would appear, the
newspapers were contributing to this process when the writs were issued on
them.

We are not entering into a discussion of the accuracy or otherwise of the
newspapers' reports.

However, we stress that the action taken against them -- and in the light of
the conduct of the courts in Liberia under the Taylor regime we are
uncertain what this may entail -- can only create a deeply chilling
atmosphere which cannot but seriously inhibit Press Freedom.

Such an inhibition, in turn, would reduce the ability of the media to report
freely and openly on the atrocities and other human rights abuses that have
occurred in Liberia and so aid the vitally needed reconciliation and
reconstruction process.

We recognize that people who have been defamed have the right to take action
in a civil court to sue for damages, but the contemplated action against
four respected publications suggests a form of punitive action against a
grouping of newspapers in what is patently an attempt to censor and silence
the independent media of Liberia.

We call on you, Mr. President, to intervene by calling on your Labour
Minister to withdraw his action so that the court may withdraw the writ to
enable the four papers to be released from their burden and thus create an
open climate where the media can continue to expose the evils of the past.

We are sending by air mail a copy of a general amicus curiae brief which
relates to criminal defamation action against the media and which carefully
spells out cogent arguments why punitive actions should not be taken by the
authorities against the media and its journalists.

We also attach a list of the media organizations affiliated to WPFC whose
membership throughout the world runs into the thousands, all of whom are
deeply concerned over this issue.

Sincerely,

E. Markham Bench
Executive Director

ATTACHMENT

World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) and its 44 affiliated journalists'
organizations worldwide:
International Press Institute (IPI) with a membership of 2,000 editors and
senior journalists worldwide

American Society of Newspaper Editors
American Women in Radio and Television, Inc
Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development
Associacion de Diarios Colombianos (Andiatios)
Associacion de Entidades Periodisticas Argentinas
Association of Hungarian Journalists
Associated Press Broadcaster
Associated Press Managing Editors
Association for Women in Communications
Bloque de Prenza-Venezuela
Brazilian Newspaper Association
Canadian Newspaper Association
Central and Eastern European Media Centre, Warsaw
Committee to Protect Journalists
Commonwealth Press Union
Czech Publishers Association
Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters
Freedom Forum
Freedom House
Glasnost Defence Foundation
Hong Kong Journalists Association
Inter American Press Association
International Association of Broadcasting
International Women's Media Foundation
National Association of Broadcasters
National Conference of Editorial Writers
National Federation of Press Women
National Newspaper Association
National Newspaper Association
Newspaper Association of America
The Newspaper Guild-CWA
Nihon Shinbun Kyokai
North American Broadcasters Association
Organisation Camerounaise pour la Liberte de la Presse
Overseas Press Club
Pacific Islands News Association
Pakistan Press Foundation
Press Foundation of Asia
Radio-Television News Directors' Association
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Sociadad Dominicana de Diaros
Society of Professional Journalists

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