An international press freedom group has condemned a fine imposed on a Seychelles opposition newspaper, saying it was excessive and "absurd". The weekly Regar newspaper was fined 40,000 rupees (€5,469) on Thursday for ignoring a Supreme Court order not to publish an internal letter written by three judges complaining about a court registrar's insubordination.
Regar, which has a circulation of about 3,500 - equivalent to the state-run Seychelles Nation - received an injunction on October 27th from the Supreme Court ordering it not to publish "in whole or in part" the letter. The order - signed by Judge Bernardin Renaud, one of the letter's three signatories - said publication of the letter would prejudice the functioning of the judicial system.
The court registrar had been criticised by Regar in previous articles, claiming he is a political appointee and questioning his competency to carry out his duties.- (Reuters)
