Rights group slams Morocco's ‘manual' of press repression
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Loading... - Coby Groff
- 01 Aug 2022
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Morocco has insisted that its justice system is independent
Morocco is jailing journalists after flawed trials for non-political crimes, particularly sexual ones, in order to silence them, part of a range of “techniques of repression,” Human Rights Watch said Thursday.
“Moroccan authorities have developed and refined a full manual of techniques to muzzle the opposition, even as it claims to be simply applying the law against them in a neutral manner,” it said.
It accused the Moroccan court system of “procedural flaws that taint the handling of these cases.”
Two of the most prominent cases are Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, both sentenced on appeal this year on sexual abuse charges to six years and five years in jail, respectively (Radi was also accused of “espionage“).
Another, Taoufik Bouachrine, was jailed in 2018 for 12 years on accusations of rape and people-trafficking, a sentence increased to 15 years on appeal by the public prosecutor.
All three have a history of critical reporting on the country’s authorities, and they have all denied the charges against them. Read More...
Two of the most prominent cases are Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, both sentenced on appeal this year on sexual abuse charges to six years and five years in jail, respectively (Radi was also accused of “espionage“).
Another, Taoufik Bouachrine, was jailed in 2018 for 12 years on accusations of rape and people-trafficking, a sentence increased to 15 years on appeal by the public prosecutor.
All three have a history of critical reporting on the country’s authorities, and they have all denied the charges against them. Read More...
