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Verdict due in cartoons trial
22/03/2007 13:30 - (SA)
Paris - A Paris court was to deliver its verdict on Thursday in the trial of a satirical French weekly sued by two Muslim groups for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The Paris Grand Mosque and the Union of Islamic Organisations of France took Charlie Hebdo to court for reprinting cartoons that appeared in a Danish newspaper, sparking angry protests by Muslims worldwide.
The court's decision was due at 13:30.
The plaintiffs argued in last month's hearing that the cartoons draw an offensive link between Islam and terrorism and asked for €30 000 (about R289 200) in damages.
The state prosecutor called for Val to be acquitted.
The trial was seen as an important test for freedom of expression in France and large crowds crammed into the Paris courtroom to hear the arguments put by both sides.
'I want to be acquitted'
Charlie Hebdo editor Philippe Val said: "I want to be acquitted without the slightest ambiguity. If there is any reservation whatsoever, I will appeal."
Val is answering a complaint of "publicly offending a group of persons on the basis of their religion", a charge that also carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of up to €22 500 (about R216 900).
One of the cartoons reprinted from Denmark's Jyllands-Posten showed Mohammed wearing a turban shaped as a bomb, and a second showing the prophet standing on a cloud, turning away suicide bombers from paradise with the caption "Stop, stop, we ran out of virgins."
A separate drawing by French cartoonist Cabu showed Mohammed sobbing, holding his head in his hands and saying: "It is hard to be loved by fools."
Francis Szpiner, a lawyer for the Paris Mosque, said his client was "calmly awaiting" the verdict.
"The trial was useful and educational, and the Paris Mosque was right to act," he said.
"Freedom of expression was never in danger, secularism was never in danger," he insisted, saying the trial had provided an opportunity for "a high-quality republican debate".
Many French Muslims 'support Charlie Hebdo'
Candidates in next month's French presidential election lined up during the trial to defend their ideas about religion and freedom of expression, while a group of 50 intellectuals including many French Muslims published an open letter urging support for Charlie Hebdo.
The editors of Jyllands-Posten were acquitted in October of any wrongdoing in a separate case in a Danish court and very few editors among the dozens of newspapers worldwide that re-printed the cartoons have faced legal action.
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