Moroccan journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi, who has been in preventive detention since the end of July, is questioned for the first time on Tuesday September 22 by an investigating judge in the context of a double case of rape and espionage which mobilizes the media and NGOs. 

Arrested and jailed for "foreign funding", "attack on the internal security of the state" and "rape", the 34-year-old journalist appears behind closed doors before an investigating judge of the criminal chamber of the court of appeal of Casablanca (west), according to information obtained by AFP on the spot. 

This hearing comes before another trial scheduled for Thursday in Casablanca, after an altercation with colleagues which earned him an indictment at the beginning of July for "drunkenness on the public highway with insults and insults". 

Omar Radi had already been sentenced at the beginning of the year to four months suspended prison sentence for "contempt of court" after a tweet criticizing a judge. 

On Tuesday morning, around 20 activists and relatives, including the journalist's mother, held a support rally in front of the court. 

"Free Radi and all the detainees", "journalism is not a crime", "dubious trial" chanted the demonstrators, echoing various petitions of support published in Morocco and campaigns led by international organizations such as Human Right Watch (HRW) or Amnesty International (AI) against "judicial harassment". 

"Freedom of expression" 

The Moroccan authorities assure that "Morocco has no problem with freedom of expression" and reject any criticism, invoking an independent justice after "two decades of human rights gains". 

But for the journalist's father, Driss Radi, "the file is empty": "Omar is being prosecuted for his opinions," he told AFP during the demonstration. 

The investigation for "espionage" was opened in late June after the publication of an Amnesty report according to which the journalist's phone was being spied on by the authorities via sophisticated hacking software.  

Rabat has always denied, accusing Amnesty of carrying out an "international smear campaign".  

Omar Radi says he is the target of a "revenge" of power, provoked according to him by the publication of this much commented report. 

The investigation for rape was opened at the end of July following a complaint from a colleague and friend.

If Omar Radi denies and speaks of "voluntary relations", the complainant claims that she was not consenting.

She spoke in several media about her right to "defend her dignity" and obtain justice. 

For its part, HRW pointed to "fragile accusations", saying that Morocco had "known many precedents where independent journalists, activists or politicians were (...) imprisoned on dubious charges of sexual assault or of sexual relations outside marriage ". 

The NGO also denounced Monday a campaign of "defamation" against Omar Radi, targeted, according to its records, by more than 130 offensive articles since mid-June in media close to power. 

Amnesty has launched a protest campaign by inviting the journalist's supporters to send letters to the head of government.  

In response, the High Council of the Judiciary in a statement criticized the NGO's "interference" and called on the magistrates to "only refer in their verdicts to the law and to the principles of justice and equity" . 

With AFP 

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR