Moroccan Journalist Faces Trial for Facebook Post Criticizing Ruling Party

Hanane Bakour’s trial is scheduled to open this Monday, April 10, 2023 before the court of first instance in Salé. This journalist with 17 years of experience faces up to three years in prison. In September 2021, she was the target of a complaint for "defamation and insult" filed against her by the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the ruling party, following a post made last month on her Facebook page. "How can the current president of the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, M’Barka Bouaida, accept to vote during the presidency of the regional council when her colleague Abdelouahab Belfkih, former regional candidate of the PAM in the election, was dying," the journalist had written.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, reacts on the organization’s website to the legal proceedings against Hanane Bakour. "It is shocking, heavy and absurd that a journalist is the subject of criminal proceedings for a Facebook post that criticized Morocco’s main political party," she denounces. "Hanane Bakour has the right to express her opinions, even if politicians disagree with them." According to her, Morocco "is increasingly showing its intolerance towards criticism of the political system." "These trumped-up charges against Hanane must be immediately dismissed and the proceedings brought against her must be dropped," the official demands.