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Moroccan editor arrested for doing his job | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
The Moroccan authorities arrested a news website editor, Ali Anouzla, on Tuesday (17 September) after he posted an article about a jihadist video, reports Human Rights Watch. | The Moroccan authorities arrested a news website editor, Ali Anouzla, on Tuesday (17 September) after he posted an article about a jihadist video, reports Human Rights Watch. |
Police arrested Anouzla at his home in Rabat and seized computer hard drives from the office of the Arabic-language site Lakome.com. | Police arrested Anouzla at his home in Rabat and seized computer hard drives from the office of the Arabic-language site Lakome.com. |
The prosecutor who ordered Anouzla's arrest said the video, which was attributed to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), "contained a clear call and direct incitement to perpetrate acts of terrorism in Morocco." | The prosecutor who ordered Anouzla's arrest said the video, which was attributed to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), "contained a clear call and direct incitement to perpetrate acts of terrorism in Morocco." |
But Anouzla did not post the video - called "Morocco, kingdom of corruption and despotism" - nor link to it. Instead, his article contained a link to a blog post about the video that had previously appeared on the website of the Spanish daily newspaper El País. He was, in other words, doing his job as a journalist by reporting information. | But Anouzla did not post the video - called "Morocco, kingdom of corruption and despotism" - nor link to it. Instead, his article contained a link to a blog post about the video that had previously appeared on the website of the Spanish daily newspaper El País. He was, in other words, doing his job as a journalist by reporting information. |
Morocco's justice ministry has announced that it will sue El País in Spain for providing a link to the video, saying it onstituted incitement to commit terrorist acts in Morocco. | Morocco's justice ministry has announced that it will sue El País in Spain for providing a link to the video, saying it onstituted incitement to commit terrorist acts in Morocco. |
"Ali Anouzla, like journalists around the world, considers it his job to cover what al-Qaeda and its affiliates say and do," said Joe Stork, the acting Middle East and north Africa HRW director. | "Ali Anouzla, like journalists around the world, considers it his job to cover what al-Qaeda and its affiliates say and do," said Joe Stork, the acting Middle East and north Africa HRW director. |
"When authorities confuse reporting with endorsing, they scare off other journalists who are legitimately reporting on such movements." | "When authorities confuse reporting with endorsing, they scare off other journalists who are legitimately reporting on such movements." |
Source: HRW | Source: HRW |
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