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Rabat – The Attorney General of the Casablanca Court of Appeal reacted to concerns regarding the delay of the trial of Moroccan journalist Soulaiman Raissouni.
Police arrested the editor-in-chief of the Akhbar Al Youm newspaper in 2020 after a man filed a complaint against him and accused him of sexual assault in 2018.
Raissouni, who has been on a hunger strike for more than two months now, has not yet stood before a judge for trial.
Raissouni spent a year in prison without trial. Amid health concerns, the Attorney General of the Court of Appeal in Casablanca said the postponement was at Raissouni’s request to prepare his defense and because of the poor condition of his health.
The attorney general said that the Public Prosecutor’s Office instructed one of its magistrates to visit Raissouni on June 14.
During the visit, the magistrate contacted the journalist and consulted his medical file and received a report from the prison’s doctor.
According to the magistrate’s file, Raissouni’s health is “normal and allows him to continue his trial without prejudice to the rights of the defense,” the statement said.
The attorney general said that Raissouni abstained from attending his hearing on Tuesday, noting that the court put in place “all necessary guarantees both in his favor and for the benefit of his defense” to guarantee the conditions of a “fair trial.”
Meanwhile, an online campaign has been calling for the immediate release of the journalist pending trial.
Although the prison authorities describe his condition as normal, Raissouni’s relatives have expressed concerns about the status of his health.
Hajar Raissouni, a journalist and Soulaiman’s niece, said that her uncle’s condition is deteriorating to the point that “he can no longer speak.”
“He wrote what he wanted to say in a paper for his defense committee to the court,” she added.
Hajar Raissouni also said that Soulaiman is on hunger strike because the court refuses to grant his release.
Ahmed Raissouni, the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and brother of Soulaiman Raissouni, also expressed concerns about the health status of the journalist.
Ahmed Raissouni said that he visited his brother in Casablanca’s Ain Sebaa prison and was not able to recognize him until he came to greet him.
“His physical appearance and voice had completely changed.”
Several other public figures, including activists and journalists, also joined the support campaign, calling for Raissouni’s immediate release and expressing concerns regarding his health status.
In May, the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) denied that Soulaiman’s health status was deteriorating.
The DGAPR said Raissouni benefited from medical checkups, adding that tests show that his health condition is normal.
The prison authority also said that health staff in the prison monitor his health status on a daily basis.
