Rabat – The Casablanca Court of Appeal sentenced Moroccan journalist Omar Radi to six years in prison today, July 19.
The court ruled that Radi had been found guilty of two counts: “rape” and “receiving funds from a foreign agent.”
The journalist was also convicted of “undermining Morocco’s security.”
Police arrested Radi following his colleague, Hafsa Boutahar’s rape accusations against him.
Radi denied Boutahar’s accusations, saying that they had “consensual sexual relations” on more than one occasion.
The complainant reiterated that she was a “rape victim” during a hearing held behind closed doors last week.
Boutahar asserted that Radi had raped her on July 12, 2020 at the house of her bosses, where she temporarily resided for over a month.
“I was hosted by my bosses Ali Amar and his wife Fatema Zahra Qadri to avoid me going back and forth between the capital and Casablanca,” during the COVID-19 lockdown, she said in several interviews.
Boutahar said her bosses provided her with a room upstairs, where she temporarily lived from June 16 until July 26, 2020.
She said the basement of their house was turned into an office for the Le Desk team.
“It was convenient for everyone.”
She said that Imad Stitou, journalist at Le Desk, was aware about the rape incident.
Boutahar said the rape happened after she finished a call with her fiance who lives in San Francisco.
“I had no reason not to feel safe being with friends. We were colleagues, the house was full, with children, domestic workers, relatives. Why should I be afraid of Omar Radi?” Boutahar argued.
Omar Radi continues to deny all accusations against him to date.
