Editor convicted in defamation case is pardoned

The editor of a Kuwaiti newspaper, who was sentenced in a defamation case, was yesterday spared a six-month jail term.

The decision follows the direct intervention by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister.

Ahmad Al Jarallah, editor of Al Siyassa, was found guilty of defaming Lebanese starlet Joelle Behlok despite the fact that he was not in court and the comments were published from Kuwait.

He spoke to Gulf News to give his reaction to the pardon: "Many thanks to General Sheikh Mohammed and the Dubai Government. I was delighted when I heard the news from my lawyer in the UAE. Dubai's Crown Prince is a wise and modern man.

"He is among the UAE leaders who are guiding Dubai and the UAE to a bright future. I also respect the justice system in Dubai and the UAE. Media issues are very sensitive and claimants should only file their lawsuits in the place of jurisdiction.

"The former Miss Lebanon who was insisting on filing her lawsuit in Dubai should have done that in Kuwait. For example, the American actor Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones sued the Spanish Hello magazine for publishing their wedding photos. The couple sued the Spanish magazine in Spain because it was the place of jurisdiction even though the photos were clicked in America."

He said his newspaper had honest intentions when it published a clarification.

Abdul Hamid Al Kmeiti, Jarallah's advocate, welcomed the pardon and thanked the ruler's court.

Last week, Jarallah was sentenced to six months in jail after the beauty queen won a libel case against the editor and another Saudi editor who alleged she had an affair with a UAE businessman.