Danish court acquits publishers of Prophet's cartoons

COPENHAGEN: A Danish court on Thursday acquitted the bosses of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper who had been sued by Muslim groups for printing 12 controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in September 2005.

The judge at Aarhus district court ruled the cartoons were neither offensive nor were they intended to denigrate Muslims, according to court papers.

"Even if the text accompanying the pictures could be read as being derogatory and mocking, the cartoons are not offensive," the court said.

Seven Danish Muslim groups launched legal proceedings in March against Jyllands-Posten's editor, Carsten Juste, and cultural affairs editor Flemming Rose.

They accused the paper of publishing text and cartoons which were "offensive and insulting" to the Prophet. The plaintifs deemed the caricatures 'attacked believers' honour because they portrayed the Prophet as war-like and criminal and made a clear link between Mohammed, war and terrorism."