Morocco warned of crackdown on freedom of speech as editor faces trial

Human rights groups have warned of a crackdown on freedom of speech in Morocco as one of the country’s few independent journalists prepared to appear in court this week on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism.

Morocco warned of crackdown on freedom of speech as editor faces trial Marmoset-in-Rock-of-Gibraltar.-On-the-background-the-Morocco-Coast-via-Shutterstock-615x345

Morocco warned of crackdown on freedom of speech as editor faces trial Marmoset-in-Rock-of-Gibraltar.-On-the-background-the-Morocco-Coast-via-Shutterstock-615x345

Ali Anouzla, the editor of the Arabic news website Lakome, faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, in what Amnesty International described as a “worrying setback for freedom of expression”.

He was arrested last month after posting an article on the terrorist threat in Morocco which included a link to an al-Qaida video criticizing the wealth of King Mohammed VI and calling for an uprising. He was held in a high-security prison until last Friday, when he was released on bail before a court hearing on Wednesday.

Anouzla is charged with providing material support to, and apologizing for, terrorism, but his supporters say these claims are a gross distortion of the truth. His colleague, and long-term campaigner for freedom of speech, Aboubakr Jamaï, told the Guardian: “The state is using all its resources to put an independent journalist in prison on horrific charges in order to destroy his reputation and that of Lakome.”

The editor has remained silent since being released on bail, when he was greeted by a small gathering of friends and supporters, but his lawyer said that he continued to maintain his innocence.

Morocco’s relative calm and popularity as a tourist destination have earned it a reputation as a beacon of stability in north Africa, but critics say this belies rampant corruption, chronic unemployment and a growing disparity between a gilded elite and a largely illiterate poor.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/27/morocco-warned-of-crackdown-on-freedom-of-speech-as-editor-faces-trial/

Morocco warned of crackdown on freedom of speech as editor faces trial

Morocco warned of crackdown on freedom of speech as editor faces trial

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