Two French TV journalists expelled from Morocco
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the expulsion of two French TV journalists who went with a human rights activist to a neighbourhood in the city of Beni Mallal, in central Morocco, to investigate reports of a homophobic attack on a gay couple in early March.
Martin Weill and Pierre Le Beau, who work for the Petit Journal news programme on Canal +, were arrested yesterday when their presence in the city was reported to the authorities. After being interrogated all afternoon at a police station, they were forced to return to Paris on a flight from Casablanca airport yesterday evening.
“It is unacceptable to expel journalists who are just doing their job,” said Yasmine Kacha, the head of RSF’s North Africa desk. “The increasingly frequent expulsions of foreign journalists by the Moroccan authorities are extremely worrying for the future of freedom of information in Morocco.”
Morocco is ranked 130th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2015 World Press Freedom Index.