A Moroccan human rights activist will go on trial charged with spreading fake news, offending institutions and false reporting after accusing the kingdom of using migration and espionage to pressure France, a Casablanca prosecutor said on Friday.
Fouad Abdelmoumni © Mena Today
A Moroccan human rights activist will go on trial charged with spreading fake news, offending institutions and false reporting after accusing the kingdom of using migration and espionage to pressure France, a Casablanca prosecutor said on Friday.
Fouad Abdelmoumni was arrested on Wednesday for interrogation by police before being released on Friday.
Abdelmoumni's remarks on social media "undermine the interests of the Kingdom and some of its institutions and transgresses freedom of speech, while including elements that constitute legally punishable crimes," a spokesman for the prosecutor told reporters in Casablanca.
His trial will start on December 2, a judicial source said.
During a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron this week, Abdelmoumni wrote on Facebook -- without offering evidence -- that Morocco was using migration, security intelligence and espionage to pressure France.
Macron carried out his Oct 28-30 visit as the two countries turn the page on years of diplomatic tensions, with migration and espionage among issues that have strained ties.
"Charging him for peacefully expressing his views would be a blatant violation of his right to free speech under international law," Human Rights Watch said of Abdelmoumni.
Moroccan rights group AMDH said he was arrested arbitrarily because of his political activism.
His lawyer Souad Brahma said Abdelmoumni was arrested for freely expressing his opinion on social media.
In Morocco, certain human rights activists have a hidden agenda and act on behalf of third parties in an attempt to destabilize the kingdom.
Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi
The election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States has been met with satisfaction in Morocco, with officials in Rabat viewing his return to the White House as a potential continuation of policies favorable to the kingdom.
Despite global economic turbulence, Morocco has managed to sustain its growth trajectory and fortify its presence in key industries, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch stated on Monday.
Salwa Abdallah was recuperating from a caesarean section and tending to her one-month old baby when soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces barged into her home in Sudan's eastern El Gezira state late last month.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.