Morocco’s King Pardons Three Journalists, Activist, and Historian in Major Human Rights Move
In a significant step towards promoting press freedom and human rights, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has pardoned three journalists, an activist, and a historian, marking his 25th anniversary as monarch. The decision comes as a welcome relief to rights groups, who had criticized the detentions of Moroccan journalists as repressive tactics to silence critics.
A total of 2,476 people were pardoned, including Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni, and Taoufik Bouachrine, who had been detained for years. The journalists were freed from prison in Tifelt, a town east of Rabat, to a group of ecstatic supporters.
While human rights activists applauded the pardons, they emphasized that the move did not exonerate the politically motivated manner in which Moroccan authorities pursued and prosecuted the journalists. Moroccan law affords the king the power to grant such pardons, which apply to the journalists’ prison sentences but not to the civil penalties or the money that courts ordered them to pay their accusers.
Rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Human Rights Watch, had denounced the jailings of Radi and Raissouni, who were detained since 2020 on charges of sexual assault they deny. Human Rights Watch had accused Morocco of using criminal trials, especially for alleged sexual offenses, as “techniques of repression” to silence journalists and government critics.
The country’s top court rejected the final appeals of two journalists in July 2023. Morocco ranked 129th out of 180 countries on RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index, highlighting the need for continued efforts to promote press freedom and human rights in the country.
The pardons are a significant step towards addressing the concerns of rights groups and promoting a more open and free press in Morocco.
