In Morocco, journalists – and their families – still struggle to cope with spyware fears
By CPJ MENA Staff Last July, when the Pegasus Project investigation revealed that imprisoned Moroccan journalist Soulaiman Raissouni was selected for surveillance by Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, the journalist could only laugh. “I was so sure,” his wife Kholoud Mokhtari said Raissouni told her from prison. Raissouni is one of seven local journalists named by the…
‘A high-profile action’: Lawyer Douglas Jacobson on what U.S. export restrictions could mean for Israel’s NSO Group
On November 3, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it had imposed export controls on the Israeli NSO Group, saying the company “developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target” journalists and others. The move represented a relatively new use for the Entity List for Malicious Cyber Activities, a…
CPJ testifies to US Congress on threats to press freedom in Morocco
Today, at a hearing on “Human Rights and Freedom of Expression in Morocco” held by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress, CPJ Middle East and Northern Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour presented testimony on the threats to press freedom and journalists’ safety in Morocco. Mansour’s testimony focused on Morocco’s record of…
Pegasus Project revelations show added layer of risk for corruption reporters
Exposing those who abuse power for personal gain is a dangerous activity. Nearly 300 journalists killed for their work since CPJ started keeping records in 1992 covered corruption, either as their primary beat, or one of several. The risk was reaffirmed this month with the release of the Pegasus Project, collaborative reporting by 17 global…
Moroccan journalist Omar Radi sentenced to 6 years in prison; Imad Stitou convicted of complicity
New York, July 19, 2021 – In response to a Casablanca court’s decision today to sentence Moroccan investigative journalist Omar Radi to six years in prison and journalist Imad Stitou to six months, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We strongly condemn the sentencing today in Morocco of journalists Imad Stitou and…
Moroccan journalist Soulaiman Raissouni sentenced to 5 years in prison
New York, July 12, 2021 – In response to the July 9 sentencing of journalist Soulaiman Raissouni to five years in prison on sexual assault charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Moroccan authorities should release journalist Soulaiman Raissouni immediately and refrain from filing trumped-up sexual assault charges against members of the…
Moroccan journalist Mohamed Boutaam arrested over corruption reporting
New York, May 7, 2021 – Moroccan authorities must release journalist Mohamed Boutaam immediately, drop any charges against him, and let him work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 4, judicial police in the southern city of Tiznit arrested Boutaam, director of the privately owned local news website Tizpress, after he…
CPJ joins call for Moroccan authorities to release journalist Omar Radi, ensure fair trial
Yesterday, CPJ and 14 other civil society groups urged Moroccan authorities to release Le Desk investigative reporter Omar Radi, who has been in pretrial detention since his arrest on July 29, 2020, and to ensure that he receives a fair trial. Radi’s trial on charges of sexual assault and undermining state security was set to begin today, but the main…
Morocco’s new tactic to punish journalists: charge them with sex crimes
Moroccan journalists Taoufik Bouachrine, Soulaiman Raissouni, and Omar Radi have a lot in common. All three have a nose for corruption, penning op-eds or investigations alleging government abuse. And all three have been charged with or sentenced to prison for sex crimes. Press freedom advocates and the journalists’ family members told CPJ that Moroccan authorities are using trumped up…
Moroccan journalist Maati Monjib sentenced to 1 year in prison
New York, January 28, 2021 – The Court of First Instance in Rabat, Morocco, yesterday convicted Maati Monjib, co-founder of the Moroccan Association for Investigative Journalism, of fraud and endangering state security, and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine of 10,000 dirhams (US$1,116), according to news reports. “The Moroccan government has…