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afrol.com, 31 October - The Angolan Supreme Court on Friday ruled in the appeal of journalists Rafael Marques, Aguiar Dos Santos and Gustavo Costa. Marques and Dos Santos had been convicted of defaming the President, while Costa was convicted of defaming the chief of the civil office of the President, Jose Leitao. Marques' conviction of six months in prison was upheld but his fine was reduced to 50 000 Kwanzas. He was fined an additional 50 Kwanzas per day for six months to be paid to the court for costs. The sentence was suspended for five years during which time Marques may not talk or write publicly or travel. Dos Santos' conviction of two months in jail was upheld and he was fined 25 000 Kwanzas, both of which were suspended for three years. He is allowed to travel during the three years. Costa had his sentence reduced to eight months in jail and a fine of 25 000 Kwanzas, both of which were suspended for three years. He too has been allowed to travel. Neither of the accused nor their lawyers were notified in advance of the Supreme Court ruling. The media was notified and the ruling was read out to them. The accused and their lawyers only got to hear about it through the media. Marques and Dos Santos, the director of the independent weekly "Agora", were originally tried along with a third accused, Antonio de Freitas, the chief editor of "Agora", but who was eventually acquitted. The trial and charges stemmed from an article written by Marques and which appeared in "Agora" in July last year. In the article, Marques referred to Dos Santos as a dictator. The trial of the three journalists began on March 21, 2000 but was held largely in secret and was characterised by several judicial irregularities. On 16 October 1999, Marques was detained in connection with these charges. He was held in prison for 41 days and was only formerly charged shortly before being released. Costa was charged with libelling Leito following an article he had penned for a Portuguese newspaper about corruption at the presidential palace. He was convicted in December last year in a trial that was closed to the public and the media.
Source: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
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