(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of the Interior Driss Jettou, RSF protested the arrest and poor treatment of Nourredine Darif, a correspondent for the weekly “Al Amal Addimocrati” in Smara, Western Sahara. “Yesterday our Moroccan correspondent Ali Lmrabet was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment on ridiculous grounds. Today, we are not only discussing […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of the Interior Driss Jettou, RSF protested the arrest and poor treatment of Nourredine Darif, a correspondent for the weekly “Al Amal Addimocrati” in Smara, Western Sahara. “Yesterday our Moroccan correspondent Ali Lmrabet was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment on ridiculous grounds. Today, we are not only discussing trials but also arrests and physical brutality. We can only conclude that we are witnessing a clear decline in Morocco’s press freedom situation,” stated Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, who also urged the minister to release the journalist immediately and punish those who treated him poorly.
According to information obtained by RSF, on 17 November 2001, the police arrested Darif, a correspondent for the far left Arabic-language weekly “Al Amal Addimocrati”, as he was on his way to the hospital in Smara, Western Sahara, to inquire about the fate of several demonstrators following a demonstration that took place that same morning. Darif was taken to the city’s police station, where he reportedly suffered poor treatment. According to the journalist’s family, he was forced to remain standing and handcuffed through the night. During his transfer to El Aïoun prison on the morning of 18 November, witnesses also noticed that he had difficulty walking and appeared to have been beaten. The journalist is currently detained at the El Aïoun civil prison, accused of “collusion with a foreign party” by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. He is prohibited from receiving any visitors. The police ransacked his home shortly after his arrest. According to statements by an “Al Amal Addimocrati” director that were collected by RSF, “the Smara governor is behind the arrest. Darif had long been in the sights of the local authorities.”
