Journalists Driss Ksikes and Sanaa Al-Aji breathed a sigh of relief Monday (January 15th) when heard that the three-year prison sentence handed down to them by a Casablanca judge would be suspended. The journalists, accused of insulting Islam and moral values following an article they published in Nichane magazine, were ordered to pay an 80,000 dirham fine, and the publication of the magazine was suspended for two months.
However, press freedom advocates say the sentence was a blow to media freedoms in the country. The groups expressed outrage at the public prosecutor's demand last week for permanent banning of the journalists along with a five-year prison sentence.
"The public ministry's brief ran contrary to respect for the law and press freedom," Lawyer Khalid Sefiani from the Moroccan National Press Union (SNMP) told Magharebia. The verdict, according to him, "restricted freedom; a punishment which we have always said should be abolished even though, in this case, a suspended sentence was given."
"I'm happy for them, but freedom of expression has lost out in a big way through this story," said the former representative of the Reporters Sans Frontières organisation for the Maghreb, Ali Lamrabet, who was banned from carrying out his profession in Morocco for ten years.
"Given that it wasn't the regime that was out to get them, but rather an Islamic fringe, I wasn't too worried. Moreover, throughout the whole affair, these journalists have acted honourable to excuse themselves, they've apologised for publishing the special report and have asked for forgiveness."
Abelaziz Nouidy, chairman of the Adala (Justice) association, feels that the sentence was not harsh, "but we would have liked to see the two journalists and their publication being cleared. However, one is happy that the court's decision did not follow the thinking of the prosecutor." Nouidy called on Article 41 of the press code to be revised so that the phrase "attacking the King, attacking religion" is clarified.
The AMDH (Moroccan Association for Human Rights) released a statement saying that it rejected the verdict and saw it as "an attack on freedom of expression and the press, and a seriously retrograde step considering the progress our country has made in this field."
In light of this case, Moroccan Communications Minister, Nabil Benabdellah announced that the SNPM, the federation of newspaper editors and the ministry have prepared a draft reform of the press code, which aims to remove the majority of sentences restricting freedom and guarantee the right to information.
