Moroccan Journalist Omar Radi Remains in Custody, Court Denies Deal Claims

The decision taken on December 31 was not the subject of any deal or arrangement with the defendant or his relatives, reports Maghreb-intelligence. Omar Radi, 33, will appear before the judges on provisional release on March 5.

He had been arrested on Thursday, December 26, 2019 for a message posted on his Twitter account in April. In this message, he had protested against the judgment rendered by a judge against the members of the Hirak. "Neither oblivion, nor forgiveness with these officials without dignity!", he had written.

Omar Radi’s trial had opened on the same day as his arrest. He had then been placed in detention in the Casablanca prison, before the resumption of his trial on January 2. At this hearing, the trial was postponed to March 5.

The arrest and detention of the human rights journalist and activist had sparked a wave of outrage, both nationally and internationally. Hundreds of people had demonstrated to call for his release and the dropping of the charges.