The editor of the Moroccan weekly newspaper Akhbar Al Ousboue , Adil Tadili, was liberated Saturday after having spent 22 months in jail for many press offences, reported MAP news agency.
On April 15, 2004, Tadili was incarcerated in Rabat after being summoned to Rabat police headquarters for a legal matter dating back to 1994. Tadili was sentenced to pay a fine of MAD 3 million for evading foreign exchange regulations. Having been unable to cope with the funds, the editor was sentenced to 10 months jail.
After his imprisonment, the editor was also charged of defamation and vilification of a government official and spreading false news and sentenced to 12 months jail.
On April 9, 2004, Tadili's paper published an article entitled "Homosexuality and the political class in Morocco", dealing with the homosexual adventures of a government minister at a resort in northern Morocco.
Though the Minister was not named in the article, the story, according to the government official was clearly referring to him. He was believed to pressure the justice Minister, Mohammed Bouzoubaa, to jail the journalist.
The court decision raised lots of questions and the press freedom organisation "Reporters without borders" (RSF) strongly condemned the imprisonment of the journalist.
Today, Reporters without borders organisation welcomed the release of Anas Tadili, who had been in prison since Sept. 29, 2004.
"While relieved by Tadili's release, we must reiterate that there is no justification for the use of prison sentences to punish defamation and we urge Morocco to give an assurance that no journalist will ever again be imprisoned for press offences," the press freedom organisation said.
After spending 22 months in jail, Tadili is still plagued with a sequel of misfortunes.
The editor, according to AFP, will have to appear before the court on Feb. 23, 2006, for another defamation case. The gendarmerie of Rabat lodged a complaint against the journalist after the publication of an article on corruption.
