Rabat – Mohammed Ouzzine, a Parliament member from the Popular Movement, has fiercely criticized Morocco’s government’s approach to freedom of speech.
Ouzzine remarks came following the trial of journalist Hamid El Mehdaoui, who received a prison sentence of 18 months after a defamation case filed by Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi.
“As for freedom, His Majesty issued a royal pardon for the journalists. In contrast, you (the government) initiate their prosecution and trials to put them behind bars,” Ouzzine said during a parliamentary session, noting that Morocco needs a strong media.
“One that is neither completed nor bought and sold, and one that does not bow down,” he said, adding the importance of distinguishing between defamation and violating the honor of personal life and criticizing the statements and actions of politicians.
He also urged the government to address the challenges, noting that “its excuses are not worse than its actions.”
“Remember, freedom has no nation; it has a sky and belongs to everyone. I hope you understand this message,” he said.
Ouahabi accused Madhaoui of “disseminating and distributing false allegations and facts to harm the reputation of individuals as well as defamation and public insults,” citing articles 443, 444, and 446 of the Moroccan penal code.
The defamation accusations refer to a series of recent remarks that the journalist has been making against Ouahabi that have been published on multiple online platforms.
Ouahbi requested a financial compensation of MAD 10 million ($1 million) and the maximum prison sentence against El Mahdaoui. The defense also called for an audit of El Mahdaoui’s YouTube channel earnings.
The court that handed a 1.5-year prison sentence against Mehdaoui also ruled that the journalist should pay compensation to the minister. The compensation is estimated at $151,155.
Amid criticism surrounding the journalist’s trial, an official from Morocco’s production office, said that Moroccan law defines the framework governing the practice of journalism.
Hassan Frhane, the Head of the Press Affairs Unit at Morocco’s Prosecutor Office, said in an interview with Moroccan television channel 2M this week that the journalism industry is legally protected. He noted that digital publications failing to meet the criteria of online press fall under the provisions of the penal code if they are associated with acts that are punishable by it.
Freedom of expression is often perceived by social media users as “the freedom to do whatever you please,” he argued.
