-Womanizer-
14-06-2011, 12:32
A Casablanca court on Thursday (June 9th) sentenced opposition journalist Rachid Nini to one year in prison and fined him 1,000 dirhams (100 euros).
The Al Massae editor was indicted in late April on charges of disinformation, attacking state institutions, public figures and the "security and integrity of the nation and citizens". Nini published a series of articles criticising Moroccan security authorities and other influential figures. In his writing, he cast doubt over the terrorist attacks experienced by Morocco and demanded the abrogation of the Terrorist Act.
The trial, which began on May 2nd, was conducted under criminal law, not press law. The judge declined several requests to release Nini on bail.
Since its beginning, the case took on political dimensions. The pro-reform February 20 Movement staged protests in front the courthouse. Over 500 lawyers across the kingdom volunteered to represent Nini. A group of political and human rights figures formed the National Committee of Solidarity with Rachid Nini.
A number of international observers attended the trial, which was marred by a fierce exchange between the defence and the prosecution. The public prosecutor demanded that Nini be jailed and barred from practicing journalism, a request rejected by the court.
In their turn, the defence dismissed the trial as a sham and the charges pressed against the journalist as void and asked the court to invalidate the prosecution. Nini's team on June 2nd announced their withdrawal from the trial.
"We cannot possibly take part in an illegal trial," said Mohamed Khalifa, a member of Nini's defence panel. "We cannot accept a journalist to be prosecuted because of his articles based on the criminal code, instead of the press law."
Nini's lawyer, Khaled Soufiani, considered the sentence harsh and said that it constituted a political message to the Moroccan media so it would not cross the red lines.
"That ruling is a serious infringement on the freedom of expression," he told Magharebia, adding that the trial at all stages failed to meet the conditions of a fair trial and the defence intended to appeal the decision.
The conviction sparked an outcry among human rights activists. The National Moroccan Press Syndicate (SNPM) on Thursday condemned the court decision and voiced determination to continue campaigning to protest the verdict.
"We call for the release of the head of Al Massae and to turn the page on this case which comes as the press and all forces in society are awaiting a reform of the press law and abolishing of penalties harming the freedom of publishing," the group said in a statement.
Nini's ability to tackle controversial issues with sarcasm earned him a huge readership across the kingdom. During the trial, he told the hearing judge that he insisted on everything he wrote and was prepared to bear responsibility for it.
The journalist refused to reveal his sources, but stressed that the news and information published were gathered from reliable contacts. He denied all charges against him and said that his trial was the trial of freedom of expression and opinion.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/10/feature-01
The Al Massae editor was indicted in late April on charges of disinformation, attacking state institutions, public figures and the "security and integrity of the nation and citizens". Nini published a series of articles criticising Moroccan security authorities and other influential figures. In his writing, he cast doubt over the terrorist attacks experienced by Morocco and demanded the abrogation of the Terrorist Act.
The trial, which began on May 2nd, was conducted under criminal law, not press law. The judge declined several requests to release Nini on bail.
Since its beginning, the case took on political dimensions. The pro-reform February 20 Movement staged protests in front the courthouse. Over 500 lawyers across the kingdom volunteered to represent Nini. A group of political and human rights figures formed the National Committee of Solidarity with Rachid Nini.
A number of international observers attended the trial, which was marred by a fierce exchange between the defence and the prosecution. The public prosecutor demanded that Nini be jailed and barred from practicing journalism, a request rejected by the court.
In their turn, the defence dismissed the trial as a sham and the charges pressed against the journalist as void and asked the court to invalidate the prosecution. Nini's team on June 2nd announced their withdrawal from the trial.
"We cannot possibly take part in an illegal trial," said Mohamed Khalifa, a member of Nini's defence panel. "We cannot accept a journalist to be prosecuted because of his articles based on the criminal code, instead of the press law."
Nini's lawyer, Khaled Soufiani, considered the sentence harsh and said that it constituted a political message to the Moroccan media so it would not cross the red lines.
"That ruling is a serious infringement on the freedom of expression," he told Magharebia, adding that the trial at all stages failed to meet the conditions of a fair trial and the defence intended to appeal the decision.
The conviction sparked an outcry among human rights activists. The National Moroccan Press Syndicate (SNPM) on Thursday condemned the court decision and voiced determination to continue campaigning to protest the verdict.
"We call for the release of the head of Al Massae and to turn the page on this case which comes as the press and all forces in society are awaiting a reform of the press law and abolishing of penalties harming the freedom of publishing," the group said in a statement.
Nini's ability to tackle controversial issues with sarcasm earned him a huge readership across the kingdom. During the trial, he told the hearing judge that he insisted on everything he wrote and was prepared to bear responsibility for it.
The journalist refused to reveal his sources, but stressed that the news and information published were gathered from reliable contacts. He denied all charges against him and said that his trial was the trial of freedom of expression and opinion.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/10/feature-01