Moroccan Journalist Pardoned After Controversial Abortion Trial Sparks Outrage

"The royal pardon corrected an unfair trial," Hajar Raïssouni told AFP, who has always denounced a "political trial".

The arrest and conviction of the journalist had provoked reactions both in Morocco and around the world, on the state of individual freedoms in the Kingdom.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice, the royal pardon was motivated by "compassion" and the "concern" of King Mohammed VI to "preserve the future of the two fiancés who intended to start a family, in accordance with religious precepts and the law, despite the mistake they may have committed".

While civil society has been strongly mobilized for several weeks for the release of the young woman and the slogan ’’Freehajar!’’ has become viral, according to TelQuel, Hajar Raïssouni’s release has been much commented on on social networks since Wednesday.

For his part, the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Akhbar Al-Yaoum did not hide his joy: "Finally a wise and joyful decision," he writes. He will be supported by the feminist activist, Ibtissame Betty Lachgar, who insists on the continuity of the fight against "draconian and sexist laws".

It should be recalled that Hajar Raïssouni and her fiancé had been sentenced at the end of September by the courts to one year in prison. The royal pardon allowed their release as well as that of the other people involved in this case, including the doctor, the anesthetist and the medical secretary.