Morocco: journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi arrested

Demonstration in support of Moroccan journalist Omar Radi during a previous arrest in December 2019 in Rabat. (Illustrative image) STR / AFP

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The journalist and human rights activist was arrested by the Casablanca judicial police on Sunday evening. He was arrested with a colleague, Imad Stitou, for "public intoxication and violence". An arrest that occurs while Omar Radi is at the heart of a double investigation into a spy case.

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Officially, his arrest is linked to an altercation in a bar with a journalist from Chouf TV. An Arabic-speaking media that has been waging a smear campaign against Omar Radi in recent weeks. This Sunday again, the journalist for example published photos suggesting that he was followed by a black car.

Omar Radi has been the subject of an investigation for "endangering the security of the State" for several days. Last week, he was interrogated for "obtaining foreign funding, linked to an intelligence agency". This investigation, launched by the Casablanca prosecution, follows an Amnesty International report, which claims that journalist Omar Radi has been spied on by the Moroccan state via spyware installed on his phone since the summer of 2019.

The Moroccan authorities refute these allegations and demand that the NGO provide tangible evidence in order to substantiate their allegations. They also accuse Omar Radi of having been in contact with an ex-agent of MI6 (British intelligence services), and therefore of being a "  spy  ".

RSF asks for explanations

Amnesty International says it has all the evidence, and Omar Radi denies the charges against him. “  I have never been in the pay of a foreign power and will never be. I am neither a spy nor an agent in the pay of external agendas,  "reads a statement published on Saturday on his Facebook page.

Reporter Without Borders asks the Moroccan authorities to provide explanations regarding his arrest and calls for his release. At the local level, a support committee, created by a dozen journalists, was formed on Monday.

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  • Morocco
  • Media
  • Justice