By Lauren Mellinger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
AGADIR, Morocco – On September 8, Mohamed Elrraji was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 5,000 dirhams (US $625). He was found guilty of disrespecting the King of Morocco under Article 41 of the Moroccan Press Law.
Elrraji was arrested and convicted in connection with a blog he published on Hespress, an independent Moroccan website. The blog, entitled: “The King encourages the nation (to rely) on handouts,” expressed criticism of King Mohammed VI. In his blog, Elrraji argues that the King’s charitable habits stifle development in Morocco and force people to be dependent on his government.
On September 4, Elrraji was summoned to the police station in Agadir and questioned for over 8 hours and told to return to the station the following day. Upon arrival at the police station on September 5, Elrraji was kept in pre-arraignment detention and then transferred to Inzegaine prison on September 7th.
No one in Elrraji’s family was informed of his detention, in violation of Moroccan law that requires the police to notify the relatives of detainees at the beginning of their detention.
Human Rights groups, such as Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the Moroccan Association of Human Rights, criticized the trial. They claim that the Moroccan court where Elrraji was tried did not respect the basic elements of a fair trial. A family member present at the trial claimed that Elrraji did not have time to seek legal counsel due to the secret detention and hurried investigation. In addition, he stated that the judges barely deliberated before convicting Elrraji.
Elrraji’s lawyer on appeal told Reporters Without Borders that the “trial was conducted badly. The police, the prosecutors and the local authorities imprisoned Mohamed Elrraji in order to dispose of the case.”
In the past few years many journalists and human rights activists have been convicted under certain provisions of the Moroccan Penal Code and Press Code for peacefully expressing their views. These provisions carry sentences of up to 5 years imprisonment and/or heavy fines for any “offenses” against the King, the royal family, or for “undermining the monarchy.” Such provisions are in contravention with the right of free expression, enshrined in the Moroccan Constitution and in international law.
On September 11, at the request of Elrraji’s defense attorneys, Elrraji was temporarily released from custody. His appeal is scheduled to take place at the Court of Appeals in Agadir on September 16.
For more information, please see:
The Guardian – Silenced Voices Speak Up – 15 September 2008
Amnesty International USA – Moroccan Blogger Jailed for Peacefully Expressing His Views– 11 September 2008
BBC – Morocco Jails King Insult Blogger – 9 September 2008
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information – In One Session, Without Defense or Lawyers, the Sentence of the Moroccan Blogger, Mohamed Elrajji, to Two Years Imprisonment and a Fine– 9 September 2008
