Latest news with #Abdelmoumni
Ya Biladi
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
HRW urges Macron to pressure Morocco to end «repression of activists and journalists»
«Moroccan authorities should urgently end their intensifying repression of activists, journalists, and human rights defenders solely for exercising their right to free speech», urged Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) on Thursday. In a statement published by HRW, the two NGOs referred to the conviction of Moroccan activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, who was sentenced by a Casablanca court on March 3 to prison and fined over a Facebook post about French-Moroccan relations. Abdelmoumni was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison and fined 2,000 dirhams for a Facebook post criticizing Moroccan-French relations during Macron's state visit. Abdelmoumni, a member of the Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa Advisory Committee, stated that he would appeal the conviction. «Macron should press the King of Morocco, his ally, to end these repressive tactics and release all those detained for peaceful speech», said Balkees Jarrah, acting Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. «Dragging yet another Moroccan activist into court and sentencing him to prison merely for expressing an opinion about relations between Morocco and another country shows just how outrageous this crackdown on free speech is», Jarrah argued. Abdelmoumni was accused of «insulting public authorities, spreading false allegations, and reporting a fictitious crime he knew did not occur». A petition signed by nearly 300 activists and human rights advocates called on Moroccan authorities to annul Abdelmoumni's sentence and «release all political prisoners held in Morocco and other Maghreb countries». Abdelmoumni, who serves as the coordinator of the Moroccan Association in Support of Political Prisoners, told HRW that he has been «targeted for years, including through digital surveillance, invasions of privacy, and repeated harassment by media linked to Moroccan security services».
Arab News
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Rights advocates urge Morocco to annul activist's prison term
TUNIS: Nearly 300 rights advocates and experts from countries in North Africa and France have signed a petition calling on Morocco to free activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, sentenced to jail for 'spreading false allegations' online. Abdelmoumni, a human rights advocate, was sentenced in early March to six months in prison for charges related to a post he had shared on Facebook, alleging that Morocco had spied against France. A petition, which by Monday has gathered 295 signatures, said that 'Abdelmoumni should have been prosecuted under the press code, which does not provide for prison sentences. But he was charged under the penal code.' He would be taken into custody 'if the verdict is upheld' by an appeals court, said the petition shared on Abdelmoumni's Facebook page. The signatories said the sentence was part of a 'repressive policy' by governments across the region, 'aimed at silencing any voices advocating for freedom of expression, respect for human rights and democracy.' They called for 'the annulment of his sentence and the release of all political prisoners held in Morocco and other Maghreb countries.' The signatories include former Doctors Without Borders president Rony Brauman, French-Tunisian historian Sophie Bessis, and Tunisian activists Mokhat Trifi and Sana Ben Achour. In his Facebook post last year, Abdelmoumni echoed accusations of Moroccan espionage against France. Prosecutors argued that his statements constituted 'allegations harmful to the kingdom's interests' and went 'beyond the limits of freedom of expression, amounting to criminal offenses punishable by law.' Abdelmoumni shared the post during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, which had marked a thawing of diplomatic ties between Rabat and Paris after three years of strained relations, partially over the espionage allegations. In 2021, Morocco was accused of deploying Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to monitor prominent figures including Macron. The allegations were based on a report by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and rights group Amnesty International, which Morocco called 'baseless and false.' The spyware, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, can infiltrate mobile phones, extracting data and activating cameras.
Ya Biladi
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan activist Fouad Abdelmoumni sentenced to 6 months for Macron visit remarks
The Casablanca Court of First Instance sentenced activist Fouad Abdelmoumni on Monday, March 3, to six months in prison and a fine of 2,000 dirhams. Until now, he had been prosecuted while free on charges of «insulting public authorities, spreading false allegations, and reporting a fictitious crime he knew did not occur». On social media, Abdelmoumni had commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Morocco from October 28 to 30, 2024, addressing Morocco-France relations, the Pegasus case, and the previous diplomatic crisis between the two countries. He was arrested on October 31. In a press statement, the deputy public prosecutor at the Casablanca Court of First Instance stated that the charges were related to «publishing data and allegations harmful to Morocco's interests and some of its institutions, exceeding the limits of freedom of expression and constituting criminal offenses punishable by law». Since last month, Abdelmoumni has not attended his trial hearings. His defense has represented him in his absence, citing his medical treatment abroad.
Arab News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Morocco activist gets six-month sentence for online post: lawyer
RABAT: A Moroccan court on Monday sentenced activist Fouad Abdelmoumni to six months in prison for 'spreading false allegations' and other charges related to a post he had shared on Facebook, said his lawyer. Abdelmoumni, a human rights advocate, was taken into custody in late October after alleging online that Morocco had spied against France, but released after a two-day detention. His lawyer, Mohamed Nouini, told AFP that Abdelmoumni will only be imprisoned if a higher court upholds Monday's verdict issued in Casablanca. 'He should have been prosecuted under the Press Code, which does not provide for prison sentences, rather than the Penal Code,' Nouini said. The charges against Abdelmoumni include 'spreading false allegations,' 'defamation' and 'insulting public bodies.' In his Facebook post last year, Abdelmoumni echoed accusations of Moroccan espionage against France. 'France, which sees its position decline among all nations, would not want to give in to the blackmail of a weak state which uses all the means of pressure at its disposal... including espionage,' Abdelmoumni wrote at the time. Prosecutors argued that his statements constituted 'allegations harmful to the kingdom's interests' and went 'beyond the limits of freedom of expression, amounting to criminal offenses punishable by law.' Abdelmoumni shared the post during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, which had marked a thawing of diplomatic ties between Rabat and Paris after three years of strained relations, partially over the espionage allegations. In 2021, Morocco was accused of deploying Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to monitor prominent figures including Macron. The allegations were based on a report by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and rights group Amnesty International, which Morocco called 'baseless and false.' The spyware, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, can infiltrate mobile phones, extracting data and activating cameras.
