CPJ: Courts, press law undermine Moroccan press freedoms

Critics are concerned that what they consider to be punitive and excessive sentences of some journalists by Moroccan courts are threatening that country's independent press.

Casablanca - A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists has voiced concern about a troubling pattern of punitive judicial sanctions that have threatened Morocco's independent press.

Over the last two years, Moroccan courts have levied stiff criminal penalties and civil damages against independent news publications, effectively banishing two of the country's most outspoken journalists from their profession, pressuring a third to quit journalism, and sending a strong message to independent-minded journalists who report on sensitive political issues in the kingdom. Moroccan officials and members of the press are also discussing amendments to the country's press law that would keep in place tough criminal penalties and possibly open the door to new restrictions on the news media.

"These recent cases threaten not only Morocco's international reputation as an oasis of relative press freedom, but the quality and integrity of its national conversation," CPJ board member and Al-Jazeera English anchor Dave Marash said. Marash, a member of the delegation, took part in a press conference today that concluded CPJ's nine-day mission to Casablanca and Rabat.

"The record shows that Moroccan courts are influenced by the government," said Joel Campagna, who led the delegation as CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. "It's clear to us that authorities are putting economic pressure on critical newspapers by exacting exorbitant civil damages in the courts." These cases have, in some instances, prompted news outlets to soften coverage, CPJ research has found.