A Moroccan prosecutor said on Wednesday he had ordered the release of veteran journalist and political commentator Ali Lmrabet after questioning him, although an investigation continues following allegations of defamation and libel.
Ali Lmrabet © MJO
A Moroccan prosecutor said on Wednesday he had ordered the release of veteran journalist and political commentator Ali Lmrabet after questioning him, although an investigation continues following allegations of defamation and libel.
Lmrabet, 66, who holds French nationality and lives in Spain, was arrested on Sunday on arrival at Tangier airport. He is a political commentator on social media and has been an outspoken critic of Morocco's political system for decades.
"The appropriate legal consequences will be determined once the investigation is completed," the prosecutor's office in Casablanca said in a statement.
In an earlier statement, the prosecutor's office said Lmrabet's arrest was on the basis of several notices issued against him over online content suspected of constituting criminal offences under Moroccan law, including alleged defamation and libel targeting individuals and institutions.
In 2003, Lmrabet was jailed after being convicted on charges that included offending King Mohammed VI. In 2005, a Moroccan court banned him from practising journalism in Morocco for 10 years.
Since then, Lmrabet has remained active as a political commentator on social media.
Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi
Spain's Ceuta, still reeling from a rush of 72,000 migrants arriving on its shores in one week, is seeking the transfer of hundreds of unaccompanied minors still in the enclave to mainland Spain, local leaders said on Wednesday.
Spanish authorities should have anticipated the consequences of a court ruling that weakened a key deterrent against illegal migration and contributed to last week's mass crossings into the enclave of Ceuta in northern Morocco, a senior Moroccan official said on Monday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed on Monday that the EU increase its support to Morocco to help prevent a repeat of the chaotic attempted influx of 50,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week.
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.