Bin Laden book banned
                    From AFP
                    December 31, 2001

                    A FRENCH book about Osama bin Laden, called The Forbidden Truth,
                    had been banned in Switzerland at the request of one of bin 
Laden's half
                    brothers, Yeslam Binladin, his lawyer, Jurg Brand, said. 

                    Binladin is claiming 20 million Swiss francs ($23.73
                    million) in damages for defamation from the co-authors,
                    Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquie, and the
                    publishers of the book, Guy Birenbaum and Olivier
                    Rubinstein of Denoel publishing house.

                    He claims the book falsely says he was closely linked
                    to the man blamed by the United States for the
                    September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

                    The German translation of the book, which was due to
                    be published in Switzerland in the next few days, has
                    also been banned.

                    Binladin has lived in Switzerland for about 20 years
                    and has held a Swiss passport for nearly a year.

                    Brand said further legal action was planned in Switzerland.

                    A complaint has also been lodged against the French website
                    www.intelligenceonline.fr for promoting the book. The disputed 
book's
                    co-author, Dasquie, is the editor in chief of the website.

                    Binladin says he has not had any contact with his half brother for 
a number
                    of years. 
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,3514962^1702,00.html

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