Moroccan journalist Omar Radi is one of the three finalists for the third edition of the Normandy Region’s Freedom Prize. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the jury of 30 young people aged 15 to 25 met by videoconference on Saturday, February 13, 2021, as part of this event.
The conviction of Moroccan historian Maâti Monjib in Morocco has come as a surprise. Several international and Moroccan NGOs denounce the failure of Moroccan justice and demand his immediate release.
Moroccan historian and human rights defender Maati Monjib was sentenced to one year in prison for "fraud" and "undermining state security". His support committee, which denounces an "unjust and vengeful verdict", demands his immediate release.
The court of first instance in Rabat sentenced, on Thursday, historian and human rights defender Maâti Monjib to 12 months in prison and a fine of 10,000 dirhams, for undermining state security, money laundering and fraud.
The fire is burning between the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ) and the Club of Moroccan Judges over disciplinary procedures. This club denounces a persecution against its members prosecuted for publications on social networks and at the same time calls for respect for freedom of expression.
The imam of Drancy, Hassan Chalghoumi, filed a complaint against the Islamologist Ghaleb Bencheikh, also president of the Foundation of Islam of France who, in the name of freedom of expression, "insulted" and "despised" him.
President Emannuel Macron reiterates that France will not "change" its "law because it shocks elsewhere". He had defended the right to publish cartoons, including those of the Prophet Mohammad , in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated in his country, which had sparked heated controversy.
The remarks of French President Emmanuel Macron defending the right to publish caricatures, including those of the Prophet Muhammad in the name of freedom of expression, continue to provoke reactions. Ségolène Royal criticizes the head of state and considers "insulting certain caricatures of the prophet".
In a statement published on Saturday, the bishops of France, gathered in plenary assembly after the attacks in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and Nice, gave their position on the issue of freedom at a time when the debates around the caricatures are raging.
Five and a half years after the attacks perpetrated against the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo , the French satirical weekly has decided to republish the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, in tribute to the killed journalists and cartoonists. A choice that does not go down well in Morocco.
Professor of Contemporary Maghreb History at the University of Paris I-Sorbonne, Pierre Vermeren, commented on the manifesto "This Shadow is There" against police repression and defamation of opponents, signed by several hundred Moroccan personalities. According to him, the repression of freedom of expression is increasing in Morocco.
Faced with attacks by some colleagues against "critical voices", including journalist Omar Radi, at the heart of a double espionage case, a group of 110 professional journalists has mobilized. They have called on the government to now sanction those who excel in defamation.