RSF calls for acquittals in two trials this week in Rabat
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is in the Moroccan capital of Rabat to attend the trial of website editor Ali Anouzla, which starts tomorrow, and the trial of seven activists including journalist and historian Maati Monjib, which starts the following day.
Anouzla, the founder and editor of the Lakome2 website, is accused of endangering Morocco’s territorial integrity while the seven activists are accused of “illegal foreign funding” and endangering the “security and integrity of the state.” RSF calls for the withdrawal all charges in both cases.
“The purpose of our presence here is to support these journalists during these unjust proceedings and to demand their acquittal,” said Yasmine Kacha, the head of RSF’s North Africa desk.“The grave charges brought against them are designed to restrict freedom of information in Morocco. This violates both the undertakings that Morocco has given internationally, and article 28 of the 2011 constitution, which explicitly establishes media freedom without any form of prior censorship.”
RSF already issued a statement in November 2015 calling on the authorities to dismiss all the charges against the seven activists. And it reiterated its support for Anouzla in a statement issued jointly with other NGOs in January 2016.
Morocco is ranked 130th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2015 World Press Freedom Index.
Middle East - North Africa
