|
Who's Online |
|
We have 1 guest online |
|
|
|
|
The Béte Noir of His Majesty |
|
|
|
Mustapha ABAJI - AlJazeeraTalk -Casablanca
 By all accounts, the press freedom in Morocco is certainly going through a desperate plight. Lately, the Moroccan authorities have launched a spate of clampdown measures against the independent press corp.
To begin with, Al-Massae daily newspaper, the largest-selling newspaper in Morocco, was lately sentenced to 45000 Dollar for libel and defamation of character against 4 deputy prosecutor. The case goes back to the last November 2007, when Al-Massae made an exclusive report on a so-called “homosexual weeding party “ in the small northern town of ‘’Kssar Elkebir. The daily accused a homosexual network as the mastermind behind the suspicious party, including a deputy prosecutor that the paper preferred not to mention his name. Many civil society activists and human wrights’ militants announced that an international Madrid-based committee for supporting the independent press in Morocco was founded. The committee is composed of authors, artists and human wrights’ activists, mainly from Morocco and abroad. The committee is preparing to launch a worldwide campaign with the object of defending Al-Massae ‘case.
Several reporters, civil wrights’ activists denounced the sentence.” they are sentencing us to shut down the newspaper. We couldn’t afford to pay such an exorbitant fine” said Rachid Ninn, the managing editor of Al-Massae in a news conference.
In a latest development; the Moroccan authorities banned a mass demonstration organised before the appeal court in Fez by the regional solidarity committee with Al-Massae. Meanwhile, the anti-riot police violently dispersed an other peaceful demonstration in the Southern city of Tiznit. As a result, many people were seriously wounded, including the chairman of the journalism club in Tiznit Mr Mohamad Ajdal.The Moroccan association of Human wrights (AMDH) pointed out that the ban is illegal and constituted is a flagrant violation of the freedom of the speech and the wright of the peaceful demonstration.
2007 was a black year for the independent press corp, during which the clamp down on the press reached alarming levels in terms of the censorship and ban on the publications. In 2007 three publications were banned and 3 reporters were sentenced to effective or suspended prison terms. Most controversionally, the case of Miriam Malek, the journalist of the weekly ‘’Al-Ayam’’ who was sentenced to 2 months because of an investigation report on “ The Royal Harem of the Palace During The Era Of 3 Kings” .The authorities charged the journalist of publishing libels that might cause a public disorder, along with the charge of publishing photos of the royal family without pervious permission from the palace. Additionally, Mustapha Hurmatallah, the journalist of the weekly “Al-Watan Al-Ann” is serving 7 months of prison following the publication of an investigation report on the Moroccan military.
 Ali Elmarabti, the editor in chief of both ‘’Demain and Doman ‘’ was sentenced to 3 yeas of prison for tarnishing the king and undermining the monarchy. In a daring move, Elmarabti was the first –ever Moroccan journalist that published a cartoon of the king. On the ground, the kind enjoys unlimited prerogatives, under article 19 of the constitution, the king is the chief executive, bet at the head of the Council of the Magistrature, be the chief of the Royal Army, legislates between the two parliamentary sessions, name high officials, ambassadors and also declare the state of emergency. What is more, according to the North African kingdom’s constitution the king is deemed as sacred person since he holds the religious title of “Amer Elmoumenen “(the Commander of Believers).Accordingly, the independent press constantly calls for the separation of powers and for a genuine constitutional amendments that will pave the way for the parliamentary monarchy.
The King, the royal family, Islam and the military are taboos that is out of the question for the local media to bring into question.
In Morocco, the press has enjoyed a relatively freer atmosphere of freedom of speech and the press more than any country in North Africa or in the Middle East. Still, the authorities like to flex its muscle every now and then through settling scores with the independent press and muzzling it via restrictions, advertising boycott, sabre rattling and politicized lawsuits.
True, Morocco’s print press had made titanic strides since king Mohamed VI ascended the throne in 1999. He owed to cut off with the black era of his father Hassan II who ruled the North African country with a rode of iron for almost four decades. The 39- young king allowed exiled dissidents to turn home, he sacked his father’s right hand, the powerful Interior minister Driss El-Basri who used to persecute massive demonstrations calling for democracy and to sent civil wrights activists to odious concentration camps. The new king declared that the bleak era of repression is over for good and an era of liberty and democracy shall commence .However, he looked suspicious vis a vis the independent press, he has never given interviews with local media so far. The Spanish or the French media was his favourite for exclusives, to the extent that journalist Benshamsi accused the king in one his notorious sarcastic editorials of lucking communication capacities.
Parallely, Moroccan loggers sparked an outcry as a step to put pressure on the government to ease censorship. “We have the wright to say at least for once that we worry for our present and future.” Wrote “Assabahiya” newspaper. “ It s high time to show solidarity because the press future is at stake.” Wrote “ Liberation”. “As a matter of fact, this record fine is just an other April’s lie. please it couldn’t be serious anyway” Wrote a blooger. In an interview with the Moroccan-French-speaking magazine“ TeleQuel” Robert Menar, the secretary of Reporters without Boundaries (RSF) stated that the freedom of expression is not in a good shape since Moroccan authorities are making one step forward and at the same time are making two, even three steps backward.
In the latest 2008 RSF- annual report on the freedom of speech and the press, Morocco ranks 106, whereas it s neighbouring Mauritania ranks 50.Many were disappointed as the freedom of the press is no longer a n overriding priority in the Moroccan agenda.
Obviously, Moroccan authorities are not going to bow to the public pressure to guarantee the freedom of speech, especially in a country where the judiciary is still submitting to hight ranking officials’ instructions. Worst of all; the state would likely think of stalling the democratic transition process as major alternative. Still, the worst scenario if the crisis is exacerbating between the palace and the Fourth power in the few comming days, the Palace may feel nostagy to the “Years of Leads”
 |
|
 |
|
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Ah, I do believe that when it comes to religion, many people are silent. When Islam is attacked somehow, the reaction of people in the government is not as serious and strict as when a judge misuses his judgement powers.
Who could answer me this: Nichane Magazine has done harm to Islam in many ways, was it obliged to pay an incredible sum that Almasae is supposed to pay? No.
I also do believe that we still do not know what freedom of expression means, which affects our judgements!
Thank you for raising the issue, one of the current issues in Morocco!