August 6, 1999
His Excellency Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssifi
Office of the Prime Minister
Rabat, The Kingdom of Morocco
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-governmental organization of journalists dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is writing to express its deep concern about the cases of Nick Pelham, the Morocco correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and his wife Lipika, who is also a Morocco-based reporter for the BBC.
CPJ has learned that Mr. and Mrs. Pelham have been denied accreditation by the Ministry of Communications and are hence prohibited from working in Morocco. The Pelhams initially applied for accreditation from the ministry in October 1998, when they began their work as foreign correspondents for the BBC in Rabat. On June 24, 1999, after repeated threats and obstruction of their work, the ministry informed the BBC that both journalists’ requests for accreditation had been denied. No satisfactory explanation for the decision was provided. However, the ministry stated in a letter to the BBC that both journalists had “touched on sacred matters and religious belief in the Kingdom of Morocco.”
This week, we understand, the ministry informed the BBC that all avenues of appeal had been exhausted and that the Pelhams’ case was being transferred to the prefectorial authority responsible for national security.
CPJ views the ministry’s decision to deny Nick and Lipika Pelham the right to carry out their professional duties as a clear violation of universally accepted norms for press freedom. We remind Your Excellency that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights grants journalists the right to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
We respectfully urge that you use your good offices to ensure that Nick and Lipika Pelham be accredited and allowed to carry out their professional duties in Morocco without interference from the authorities.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We will continue to monitor all developments with regard to this case, and we look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
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His Excellency Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssifi
Office of the Prime Minister
Rabat, The Kingdom of Morocco