Newspaper's survival in doubt after it is given a week to pay 3 million dirhams in damages

Reporters Without Borders voiced surprise today on learning that two court bailiffs visited the Casablanca-based Journal Hebdomadaire newspaper on 18 December seeking payment of 3 million dirhams (270,000 euros) in damages from managing editor Aboubakr Jamai and one of his former journalists, Fahd Iraqi. The newspaper was originally ordered to pay the damages in April as a result of a libel suit brought by the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Centre (ESISC), a think-tank which has its headquarters in Brussels. Jamai and Iraqi have now been given a week to raise the money. “We are surprised by this decision by the ESISC, which said on several occasions it wanted to seek a settlement and did not intend to insist on payment of the damages,” Reporters Without Borders said. “As we already said at the time, the damages award was out of all proportion. Rather than sanctioning the newspaper, it will kill it off, especially as it was already forced to pay the foreign minister nearly 1 million dirhams in a libel suit four years ago.” In a press release on 16 February, the ESISC board said it would waive the damages it had been awarded and would settle for the “symbolic” sum of 1 dirham if the Journal Hebdomadaire would “recognise its errors.” During the trial, the centre's lawyer had requested 500,000 euros in damages. The request was supported by the state prosecutor, although he does not have to take a position in a civil suit. According to Journal Hebdomadaire publisher Ali Amar, ESISC president was offered the possibility of publishing a response in the newspaper, but he never took advantage of the offer. Contacted by Reporters Without Borders, communication minister Nabil Benabdallah said an agreement needed to be found between the two parties. “This is a judicial decision in which we cannot interfere,” he said. “But I can tell you that, at the government level, we do not want this to have any impact on the newspaper's survival. Quite the contrary. In the democratic process begun by Morocco, no one is interested in seeing the Journal disappear.” The damages award of 3 million dirhams was upheld by the Rabat appeal court on 18 April. The ESISC brought its libel suite against the Journal Hebdomadaire over an article questioning the objectivity of a report it issued about the Polisario Front, which wants independence for Western Sahara. Four days prior to the court's verdict, hostile demonstrations were held outside the newspaper in protest against its alleged publication of Mohammed cartoons.