LONDON, Jan 25: The wife of the ruler of Qatar won a libel case on Tuesday against the British-based Arabic newspaper Azzaman, which had falsely accused her of interfering in Qatari state affairs and secret dealings with Israel.

Sheikha Mouza al-Misnad's lawyers had produced documents which they said showed Azzaman was controlled by Saudi intelligence paymasters who used the newspaper as a mouthpiece for a propaganda campaign against Qatar and its leadership.

The documents also showed that Azzaman executives set up a "Centre for the Defence of the Press and Intellectual Freedom in the Arab World" intended to attract Saudi dissidents in exile so Saudi authorities could monitor them.

Azzaman, edited by Iraqi national Saad al-Bazzaz, settled out of court, agreeing to publish a front-page apology to Sheikha Mouza and pay her more than 500,000 pounds in damages and costs for allegations published in June and July 2001.

In view of the documents showing Azzaman's links to the Saudis, Justice David Eady ruled that the daily could not claim protection on the grounds that it was an independent newspaper.

The newspaper and its editors now accept "there was no truth whatsoever in any of the allegations they had published", according a statement read in court on Tuesday.

Sheikha Mouza, an active advocate of women's empowerment and other causes, will donate the damages to two charities, Medical Aid for Palestinians and an Iraqi education fund, her lawyers said. Bazzaz held senior media positions in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule until his defection in the 1990s. -Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.