Swiss court rules against publication of Gaddafi photos (Roundup)

Apr 12, 2010, 17:50 GMT

Geneva - A Swiss court ruled Monday against a Geneva newspaper that published mug shots of Hannibal Gaddafi, son of the Libyan leader.

The photos were leaked to the Tribune de Geneva newspaper, apparently from an official involved in the case, and published in September last year.

In the ruling, the court said the publication violated Gaddafi's privacy and condemned the paper, according to the Swiss ATS news agency. The Tribune has 30 days to appeal.

The paper had argued that publicizing the photos were in the public interest, but the court rejected the claim.

However, the court of first instance refused to award the son of Muammar Gaddafi the 100,000 Swiss francs (95,000 dollars) in damages which he demanded, ordering instead that it would be sufficient for the Canton of Geneva and the newspaper to disseminate the ruling.

The canton had already recognized responsibility for the leak and opened an investigation into how the photos reached the newspaper.

The mug shots were taken in 2008, after Hannibal and his wife were arrested in Geneva for abusing their servants. The case was eventually settled out of court, but the arrest sparked an ongoing diplomatic row between Switzerland and Libya.

Trade between the two nations has dwindled to a trickle and Muammar Gaddafi has called for a jihad against the Alpine nation.

Meanwhile, Max Goldi, a Swiss businessman arrested on visa charges in Tripoli shortly after Hannibal's detention remains in prison in Libya.