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Rabat – The General Delegation of Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) publicly accused Moroccan journalist Soulaiman Raissouni of “deceiving” public opinion as the DGAPR questioned the “validity of his hunger strike.
DGAPR appears to suggest that Raissouni is actually following a “diet” and is not on a hunger strike as what some news outlets reported.
The prison directorate said that the journalist is “in fact following a diet, since upon his announcement of this strike, he consumed food, including honey and dates, and tonics (supradyn).
DGAPR said that the journalist also had soup and juice twice on May 22-23.
“As soon as [Raissouni] realized that the consumption of these foods would in itself constitute a flagrant cessation of his alleged hunger strike, he refused to continue consuming them.”
DGAPR explained that its statement today comes in response to what Raissouni’s relatives and supporters, who “claim to be human right defenders, write in their pages on social networks.”
DGAPR accused Raissouni of following a diet on the advice of his supporters, who also asked him not to announce the end of his hunger strike.
“He seeks to avoid the negative repercussions of an effective hunger strike on his health and to maintain at the same time a tireless media hammering to deceive public opinion by politicizing the case,” the statement added.
The prison authority questioned the hunger strike, citing that all blood tests the journalist benefited from were normal.
“How after an alleged hunger strike of more than 70 days does he manage to walk a whole distance from his cell to the lawyers’ office and have discussions with his lawyers for enough time and pretend at the same time that his health does not allow him to be present at a judicial hearing?” DGAPR added.
The hunger strike comes amid mounting concerns from journalists and activists, who repeatedly express frustration over Raissouni’s health and imprisonment.
Several activists and public figures, including Raissouni’s brother Ahmed Raissouni said that the journalist’s health is deteriorating.
Ahmed Raissouni, who is the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, said he visited his brother recently and could not recognize him due to his changed physical appearance.
The journalist’s niece, who is also a journalist, also condemned the situation, calling for his release.
She said that her uncle can no longer speak and he usually writes notes to his defense.
Not only has Raissoui’s brother and niece provided statements on his health, other journalists and colleagues, including Youssef Meskine also published posts, showing solidarity and expressed support for the journalist.
The activists called on the court to speed up the trial process or release the journalist pending trial.
The DGAPR statement comes after the General Attorney in the Casablanca court responded to Riassouni’s supporters’ demand.
The general attorney said that the postponement of the trial is at Raissouni’s request to prepare his defense and because of his poor health.
Police arrested Raissouni, who is the editor-in-chief of the Al Akhbar Al Youm newspaper in 2020. The arrest came after a man field a complaint against him and accused him of sexual assault . The man said the alleged assault took place in 2018.
