Ali Dilem Loses Defamation Lawsuit
The longtime lightning rod for freedom of cartoon expression Ali Dilem has suffered another blow, albeit a modest one, when an Algerian court decided he and two others must pay a fine of approximately $310 for defamation in a lawsuit brought by the defense ministry on behalf of one of its officers. In several countries, government and military officials have been using the courts to help silence political opponents or merely to mitigate against the effects of any criticism, including that from cartoonists.
