Two Liberians arrested over Guinea plot article

The two men were also charged with "manoeuvring against the state", said their union and lawyers.

A Liberian journalist and a printer were charged Friday with criminal libel for an article that accused the country's presidency of backing opponents of the junta in Guinea, their union said.

The pair were transferred to Monrovia prison, but were subsequently freed on bail, Peter Quiqui, head of the Press Union of Liberia, told AFP quoting the magistrates' court.

Syrenius Cephus, managing editor of the daily Plain Truth, and the manager of Seamarco printers Michael Makinde, were detained following the December 9 publication of an article accusing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's government of arming Guinea dissidents.

The two men were also charged with "manoeuvring against the state", said their union and lawyers, Sam Pooper and Sylvester Rennie. The date of their trial has yet to be announced.

Quiqui protested the pair's imprisonment, saying the printer -only did his job.-

But an official at the president's office said the article could have serious repercussions for Liberia.

- This article is not just a collection of lies, it also forgets to take into account the fragile nature of the situation in Guinea - the official said.

- Everything that happens there will have a major fallout for us here in Liberia. -

Liberia has a border with Guinea, which has been unstable since a coup in December last year brought Captain Moussa Dadis Camara to power.

On December 3, Camara was shot by his aide de camp and is currently in hospital in Morocco.