Dili – A rights group Monday urged East Timor to drop criminal charges against a weekly newspaper and its editor for alleged defamation of the justice minister.

"Tempo Semanal and Jose Belo should not face charges under this obsolete and repressive law," coordinator of the US-based East Timor and Indonesian Action Network, or ETAN, John Miller said in a statement. "We urge the prosecutor general to immediately drop any charges," he said.

Justice Minister Lucia Lobato filed a defamation lawsuit against the Tempo Semanal and its editor over allegations made in an article published in October.

Lobato filed defamation charges in November, accusing the paper of breaching her privacy and violating the ethical code of journalists.

"Information about government activities should not be subject of defamation law. Timor Leste's leadership should support freedom of expression and encourage a dynamic, investigative media," Miller added.

According to ETAN, the editor Belo was questioned Jan. 19 for three hours by the prosecutor's office. He was notified of the defamation charge in December.

The criminal defamation law is leftover from Indonesia's 24-year occupation. East Timor formally became an independent state May 20, 2002.