Moroccan Lawyer Suspended After Controversial Remarks in High-Profile Journalist Trial

This conviction by the Rabat Court of Appeal was pronounced following the remarks made by the accused during the trial of Taoufik Bouachrine.

In a statement to H24info, the Bar President is outraged by this conviction. According to him, these accusations date back to 2019. "But it is only a year later that this decision is made. At the time, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) of the United Nations Human Rights Council had already considered that the trial against Taoufiq Bouachrine was not fair [...] the body had moreover requested the release of my client and the cessation of the pressures that my family and I were undergoing," he adds.

Continuing his explanations, the lawyer denounced "an attempt to stifle the case." He also condemned "the timing chosen by the justice system to rule." "My conviction is taking place in a context marked by Covid-19 and where international institutions and public opinion seem very busy [...] ", he added before promising to fight to obtain justice. To this end, he plans to appeal to the Court of Cassation soon.

According to the same media, the Bar President had been behind several controversies during the trial of the director of publication of the Arabic-language daily Akhbar Al Yaoum, whom he had initially defended, before throwing in the towel. The lawyer of the journalist had also been sentenced to one year in prison with probation for having hidden one of the complainants, summoned to testify in the Bouachrine case.