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TITLE: Journalists Charged With Spying Denied Bail |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: All Africa |
DATE: February 24, 2001 |
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Four Liberian journalists charged with espionage on Thursday before a magistrate in Monrovia were denied bail, news organisations reported. Joseph Bartuah, Abdullah Dukuly, Jerome Dalieh and Bobby Tapson of the privately-owned daily, 'The News', were arrested on Wednesday after their newspapers reported that President Charles Taylor's government had spent US $50,000 to repair military helicopters. The government alleged that the story was meant to "reveal national defence information to a foreign power for the purpose of injuring Liberia...in the event of a military or diplomatic confrontation", the Panafrican News Agency reported. Magistrate Joseph Fayiah denied the journalists bail because of what he said was the gravity of the charges. He ordered that the journalist be remanded into custody until 26 February, when proceedings are due to resume. News reports quoted defence lawyers as saying that prior to the court appearance, their clients were stripped and forced to sleep in their underpants on the bare floors of poorly ventilated cells. Copyright © 2001 UN Integrated Regional Information Network. END |