Morocco’s King Pardons Prominent Journalists and Activists on Throne Day

Journalists and activists Hicham Mansouri, Imad Stitou and Afaf Barani also benefited from the royal pardon. "The royal pardon stands out for its human character, and has been received with deep gratitude by the families of the pardoned," said Hicham Mellati, Director of Criminal Affairs and Pardons at the Ministry of Justice. Amnesty International had repeatedly called for the release of journalists Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni and Taoufik Bouachrine in recent years.

According to the Moroccan authorities, journalists Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni and Taoufik Bouachrine were tried for common law crimes that "have nothing to do" with their profession or respect for freedom of expression. The first two had been arrested in 2020 while the arrest of the third had taken place in 2018. In July 2023, the Court of Cassation had confirmed the convictions of Omar Radi (38 years old) and Soulaimane Raissouni (52 years old) to 6 and 5 years in prison respectively for sexual assault (and espionage for the first one), after rejecting their appeal.

In 2021, the Court of Cassation had already rejected the appeal of Taoufik Bouachrine, 55, founder and editorialist of an Arabic-language daily. He had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for "rape", "human trafficking" and "sexual assault" against several women. He has been in prison since 2018.