(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Communications Minister Mohammed Achaâri, RSF protested the withholding of the 7 March 2002 issue of the weekly French magazine “VSD”. “This decision demonstrates yet again that the government does not hesitate to censor foreign newspapers when they tackle subjects that could embarrass the royal family,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Communications Minister Mohammed Achaâri, RSF protested the withholding of the 7 March 2002 issue of the weekly French magazine “VSD”. “This decision demonstrates yet again that the government does not hesitate to censor foreign newspapers when they tackle subjects that could embarrass the royal family,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. “Moreover, we reiterate our concern about the new press law’s stipulations, such as the preservation of prison sentences for those who ‘insult’ the king, princes and princesses. The law is due to go before the Chamber Counselors in the next few weeks,” Ménard added. No fewer than nine newspapers, including seven foreign publications, were censored in 2001 for reporting on subjects such as the Western Sahara, corruption, and especially the king’s personal life.
According to information collected by RSF, copies of the 7 March issue of the French weekly “VSD” were not distributed to Moroccan newsstands. The issue was withheld by the Sochepresse distribution company. Thus far, “VSD” has received no explanation for the withholding of the magazine, despite its requests.
The magazine’s 7 March issue contained a special report, entitled “The man who doesn’t want to be king” and made reference to two controversial books, “Notre ami le roi” (“Our Friend the King”) by Gilles Perrault and “Le dernier roi” (“The last king”) by Jean-Pierre Tuquoi, published in 1990 and 2001, respectively.
The authors of the “VSD” report, Stéphane Reynaud and Marie-Stéphanie Lohner, painted an unkind picture of the king and gave a critical assessment of his more than two years in power. The report quoted statements made by several observers on Moroccan society, such as one by Tuquoi who said “the king’s memoirs were valueless and obviously not written by him.” Another observer was quoted as saying, that “when the king arrived at the 1999 French-Speaking Countries Summit in Canada, he asked to be housed separately. He and his entourage that filled three airplanes had ‘taken over’ the residence for visiting heads of state for only a twenty-four hour stay.” Another observer, former dissident Abraham Serfaty, was quoted as saying: “We are drowning in an administration filled with corruption, waste and inertia. Mohammed VI is an enlightened despot.”
The entire “VSD” report, in French, can be seen on the RSF website at www.rsf.org
