Tunisian rights groups call a travel ban imposed on Moroccan historian and writer Maati Monjib "a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the law".
Tunis, 20 October 2021
Tunisian associations express deep concern over continued persecution of Moroccan historian and writer Maati Monjib
The undersigned Tunisian associations express their deep concern at the continued persecution of Moroccan historian and writer Maati Monjib, known for his defense of freedom of expression and of the press. He has shown solidarity with journalists and human rights activists who have been detained in the Kingdom of Morocco, following trials “that do not meet international standards for fair trials,” as confirmed by Arab and international human rights groups.
They underscore their solidarity with this academic and president of the association Freedom Now, who has been one of the most prominent initiators of raising awareness of the importance of investigative journalism and one of the supporters of the development of journalists’ technological skills.
They also welcome his decision to end on 16 October the hunger strike in which he had embarked three days earlier, in protest against the arbitrary decision of the Moroccan authorities to ban him from travelling for treatment in France, where his family lives.
This feeling of relief stems from the fact that the undersigned associations are aware of Maati Monjib’s fragile state of health and the regular medical follow-up it requires. It also stems from their observation, in recent months and years, of the indifference of the Moroccan authorities, in the face of the legitimate requests of detained human rights defenders and journalists, who went on hunger strike, including journalist Suleiman Raissouni whose strike lasted 122 days, earlier this year, and Omar Radi.
Tunisian associations condemn the cruel treatment suffered by Maati Monjib since 2015, which has recently reached such a point that his right to travel for health care and family visits is violated, his bank account is frozen, and he is even deprived of his right to sell his car to cover his medical expenses in Morocco.
The Moroccan committee of solidarity with Maati Monjib and detained journalists Souleiman Raissouni, Omar Radi, and all the victims of the violations of freedom of expression in Morocco, considers the travel ban imposed on Maati Monjib as “a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the law.” It explained that neither Maati Monjib nor his lawyer had received “any court order indicating that he was banned from travelling.”
It is worth mentioning that Maati Monjib went on a hunger strike that continued for 20 days during his detention for alleged “foreign money laundering,” from late December 2020 to 23 March 2021, to protest against “injustice and persecution”, “arbitrary detention” and “his sentence in absentia” to a one-year prison. This earlier case, dating from 2015, was also based on trumped-up charges, including “endangering state security”. A massive wave of solidarity in Morocco and several Arab and foreign countries contributed to his provisional release last March.
