(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is extremely concerned over the abrupt imprisonment of Anas Tadili, editor of the weekly “Akhbar al-Ousbouaâ”, on 15 April 2004. While officially arrested over a legal matter dating back 10 years, RSF fears Tadili may have been detained for an article published in his newspaper, and that the arrest was in fact […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is extremely concerned over the abrupt imprisonment of Anas Tadili, editor of the weekly “Akhbar al-Ousbouaâ”, on 15 April 2004. While officially arrested over a legal matter dating back 10 years, RSF fears Tadili may have been detained for an article published in his newspaper, and that the arrest was in fact the result of political pressure.
On 9 April, Tadili’s paper published an article entitled “Homosexuality and the political class in Morocco”, detailing the homosexual adventures of a government minister at a resort in northern Morocco. Though he was not named in the article, the story was clearly aimed at the finance minister, who, in turn, reportedly pressured the justice minister to arrest the journalist.
“We are concerned by the timing of the events in this case. Mr. Tadili was arrested last week after being summoned to Rabat police headquarters in the middle of the night for a legal matter dating back to 1994. When he was unable to come up with the three million dirham fine [approx. US$325,000; 270,000 euros) immediately, he was detained. Somewhat disturbingly, his arrest comes only days after an article questioning the morality of a government minister appeared in his newspaper. We fear that Mr. Tadili’s arrest is in fact a response to political pressure and an attempt to circumvent the legal process. If this is the case, we ask that he be tried under existing press laws. While personal attacks in the media are certainly questionable from an ethical standpoint, we nonetheless expect greater transparency in the application of the rule of law”, said the organisation.
On 15 April, at 10:00 p.m. (local time), Tadili was summoned to Rabat police headquarters and ordered to pay a fine of three million dirhams. In 1994, the journalist had been charged with evading foreign exchange regulations after opening an account abroad. He received a six-month suspended sentence and a three-million dirham fine, but appealed the ruling. In 2001, the ruling was confirmed by the Appeals Court. Since Tadili had never paid this fine, his detention on 15 April was expedited without difficulty. He has remained imprisoned in Salé since that time, without possibility of appeal.
On 19 April, Tadili appeared before Rabat Court’s crown prosecutor over an inquiry launched on the orders of Prime Minister Driss Jettou, who is entitled by law to file a lawsuit when the honour of a member of his government has been called into question.
