Lhe United States said “disappointed”, This Monday July 12, by the conviction, in the evening of Friday July 9, of the former editor-in-chief ofAkhbar Al Yaoum Soulaimane Raissouni.
“We believe that the legal process leading to this verdict is at odds with the fundamental promises of the Moroccan system on fair trials for individuals accused of crimes, and with the promise of the 2011 Constitution and the reform agenda of His Majesty the king mohammed vi”, Said the spokesman for the American diplomacy, Ned Price, during a press briefing. And to continue: “We have expressed these concerns to the Moroccan government and we will continue to do so.”.
.@StateDeptSpox comments on our disappointment in reports that a court in Morocco has sentenced journalist Soulaiman Raissouni to five years in prison. pic.twitter.com/XVUZLWPAfc
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 12, 2021
Placed in preventive detention since May 22, 2020, after being accused of “indecent assault with violence and kidnapping”, Soulaimane Raissouni was sentenced to five years in prison for “sexual assault” by the court of call from Casablanca. Facts that the 49-year-old journalist has always rejected, asserting his “innocence”.
The United States “closely” follows the Raissouni and Radi cases
Ned Price thus called on the Kingdom to guarantee and protect press freedom in Morocco, a country ally of the United States. “We are concerned about the negative impact of the case on freedoms of expression and association in Morocco”, He mentioned, noting that Washington was following“from close”The Raissouni case, like those“other journalists currently in detention”.
A reference to another trial taking place at the same time, that of the journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi, prosecuted for “rape” also for “attack on the internal security of the State”. A new hearing on this case is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13.
On June 28, on the sidelines of an international meeting against terrorism in Rome, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the issue of press freedom with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
Good meeting today with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to review our shared interest in regional peace and stability and human rights, including press freedom. We also discussed developments in Libya and our desire to see stability and prosperity there. pic.twitter.com/wutaKYIuw9
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 28, 2021
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