Outrage at appeal court's decision to uphold newspaper editor's prison sentence

Reporters Without Borders voiced outrage at an appeal court's decision today to uphold a prison sentence for newspaper editor Ali Lmrabet for insulting King Mohammed, albeit reducing the prison term from four to three years. The appeal court also maintained a ban on his two satirical weeklies and a fine of 20,000 dirhams (about 2,000 euros). Lmrabet started a hunger strike since 6 May. "We are appalled and deeply outraged by this verdict," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said, accusing the Moroccan authorities of displaying " a degree of stubbornness that could prove to be criminal." He pointed out that Lmrabet was extremely weak as a result of his hunger strike and he warned that if anything happens to the journalist, " the Moroccan authorities will bear the full responsibility." Ménard described today's court decision as "a step backwards from democracy and freedom" and contrasted it with the attempts of King Mohammed's public relations advisers to play up the regime's modernity. "This regime is clearly incapable of tolerating the least criticism," he said. Ménard urged the countries of Europe to remind Morocco of the human rights undertakings it made when it signed association agreements with Europe. He also called for a more determined effort by the French authorities to make their voice heard. Lmrabet is Reporters Without Borders' correspondent in Morocco as well as being the owner and editor of the French-language Demain Magazine and its Arabic-language version Douman. He has been in prison since 21 May when a court in Rabat convicted him of "insulting the person of the king", "offence against territorial integrity" and "offence against the monarchy," and sentenced him to four years in prison. He was taken from the courtroom to a prison cell. The appeal court ordered that he remain in custody on 5 June, when the first hearing in his appeal was held. When he began his hunger strike on 6 May, Lmrabet said he was acting to defend his rights, to put an end to repeated acts of intimidation against his printer and other printers who would otherwise be ready to print his weeklies, and in order to be able to enjoy the right to freedom of movement. On 26 May, at the end of his third week on hunger strike, he was rushed from prison to Avicenne hospital in Rabat.