Morocco

A bizarre case of press censorship arose recently in Morocco when authorities seized 100,000 copies of the country's two leading newsweeklies--TelQuel and its Arabic-language sister publication, Nichane--after they published the results of a poll in which Moroccans were asked to assess their king. The odd part? Ninety-one percent of Moroccans said they found the rule of King Mohammed VI mainly "positive."

New York, June 29, 2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Moroccan court decision today to impose fines and damages on three independent dailies for "publicly harming" Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, above, and "injuring his dignity."

New York, June 15, 2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by defamation charges filed against a Moroccan editor by a group that represents close relatives of King Mohammed VI. A Casablanca court has summoned the editor to appear on Tuesday.

New York, May 18, 2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed by the start of court proceedings today against five Moroccan journalists charged with "publicly harming" Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, left, and "hurting his dignity."

New York, March 26, 2009--The Casablanca court of appeals in Morocco should overturn two suspended jail sentences and fines against an independent newspaper, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

New York, March 5, 2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of a Moroccan blogger who is being held on charges of defaming a prosecutor in the northern part of the country.

Morocco continued to backslide on press freedom as independent journalists and news outlets were targeted in a series of politicized court cases. In May, the National Syndicate for Moroccan Press noted a "dangerous trend" in which authorities were "imposing exaggerated fines in defamation cases, resorting to preventive arrest of journalists ... banning newspapers and instructing printers to keep an eye on the content of what they print."