The secretary-general of the National Union of the Moroccan Press (SNPM) has been injured in an attack, SNPM said Wednesday. Mohammed Eddou Serraj was struck on the head with an iron bar by two people when leaving a meeting of the trade union in Rabat on Tuesday.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Thursday called on Moroccan authorities to investigate the attack on Serraj . “We expect the Moroccan authorities to launch a swift and thorough investigation into this attack,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “We fear that Mohamed may have been targeted for his work as a journalist or as a leader of SNPM.”
On Tuesday evening Serraj was assaulted as he left the SNPM headquarters after a meeting. He was hit twice over the head with a metal bar by two attackers who escaped on a motorbike. According to the union, there is no evidence that the motive was theft as the attackers did not take or make any demands for any of his belongings.
Serraj was treated in hospital and received 10 stitches for his injury. He has registered a complaint about the incident with the police in Rabat. Serraj works as a journalist for the Moroccan public broadcaster SNRT.
The attack followed another against Rachid Nini, director of the daily Al-Massae, in early February. Nini was attacked with a knife and injured in the hand.
