50. Regarding medical expenses, the Applicant claims 30 ,000 CFA Francs, even
though the receipts in the file show a slightly higher amount. Since the Court
cannot rule ultra petita, it will limit itself to the amount claimed.
51.1n light of the foregoing, the Court is of the opinion that the Applicant should be
awarded a total sum of 25,108,000 CFA Francs, in reparation for the material
damage, that is, 25,000,000 CFA Francs, for loss of income and 108,000 CFA
Francs for medical and travel expenses.
C) Compensation for moral prejudice
52. The Applicant summarises the pain and anguish which he and his family endured
as a result of his trial, conviction and imprisonment as follows :
53.
He alleges in particular that, in his own case , a campaign was mounted against
him to portray him as a "fake journalist" and to insult and discredit him; that he
was tried , convicted and imprisoned on the same day without allowing him time
to organise his business or to make the necessary arrangements for his family
before his imprisonment, that he was found guilty and sentenced to a 12-month
term of imprisonment (the maximum sentence in such a case), and to pay the
heavy fine of 6,250,000 CFA Francs, for damages, which amount was far beyond
his resources; that he therefore had no means of complying with the Court's
judgment and, for that reason , was faced with the threat of extension of his prison
term for default; and that, in addition , he had spent twelve months in a crowded ,
dirty and unsafe prison yard ; that he had to share space with paedophiles,
psychopaths and drug addicts, most of whom had previously been convicted ; and
that the living conditions in the prison yard were horrible to the extent that two
detainees died in October 2014 as a result of exhaustion and poor ventilation.
54. As regards his wife, the Applicant avers that she was traumatised by his
conviction and imprisonment; that she also had to deploy lots of efforts to be able
to cater to the needs of his family after the closure of the Weekly, L'Ouragan,
13
g
l ~ ~]7~ 0
C' ~ ~ _;; «<