Rights Group Defends Harassed Moroccan Journalist

Photo Credit: Mamfakinch

Reporters Without Borders expressed serious concern for the safety of Moroccan journalist Hamid Naïmi due to what the group alleges is ”almost constant harassment and… death threats.” Naïmi lives and reports in the Spanish enclave of Melilla where he participates in television programs that investigate embezzlement and corruption by Moroccan officials. Since the program’s debut on July 6, Naïmi has received threatening phone calls and has been followed by unknown people suspected to be from the Moroccan government and the Department for Territorial Surveillance.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Libyan officials, including Interim Prime Minister Abderrahim El Kib arrived in Morocco Tuesday for a two day visit to discuss economic cooperation and mutual concerns about security in Mali. The meeting follows last week’s signing of an agreement loosening restrictions on the movement of citizens between the two countries.

In addition, Morocco is cracking [French] down on illegal immigrants living in the kingdom due to perceptions that many are trained and armed “war criminals.” Assanatou Balde writes on how this view of immigrants in Morocco has persisted in political discourse and in the press, and has been used as justification by police for detentions, tortures, and forced expulsions.

Also, Youssef Aït Akdim comments [French] on the phrasing of King Mohammad VI’s speech last week calling for continued reforms, which in his view took aim at both Islamists in government and youth movements in the streets. The king spoke of recent reforms as being “neither a fact of chance nor a product of circumstances,” but instead as the outcome of a long trajectory of modernization led by “fully sovereign will.” Akdim argues the king’s wording intentionally sought to marginalize remaining youth protesters, while the king’s call to protect certain government programs from “political tendencies that would deviate from the noble trajectory” as a direct shot at the ruling Islamist party.