afrol News, 6 September - The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, has been scolded on press freedom violations since he took over the kingdom from his father.

At a news conference in Casablanca yesterday, the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) Secretary General, Robert Ménard, told King Mohammed to understand that “one is free to comment.”

The news conference was held to raise concern about the decline in press freedom in the run-up to the 7 September legislative elections. It was a follow up to a letter the RSF chief wrote to King Mohammed on 27 August.

Ménard condemned the lack of progress in press freedom since Mohammed assumed leadership.

"When we met the Moroccan authorities a year ago, they showed an unprecedented interest in establishing a dialogue but today we have the impression that we were conned," Ménard said.

"Above all, we deplore the cynicism of a government that talks of reform and yet imprisons and censors journalists."

He urged would-be Moroccan legislators not to approve the proposed reform to press law. "In its current form, this bill is reactionary and repressive," Ménard. "We call on the new legislators to embrace this issue and to convey our message to the highest authorities."

"Those elected to office need an insolent and disrespectful press," he added, describing freedom of expression an essential component for the democratisation of the kingdom.

The press freedom body was denied access to Oukacha prison where a reporter of ‘Al Watan Al An’, Mustapha Hurmatallah, is serving an eight-month jail term he received on 15 August for "receiving items or documents by criminal means."

The grounds given by the Justice Minister for forbidding the visit - the fact that his sentence had not yet been upheld on appeal - have no legal basis under Moroccan law, the RSF complained.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories