The Moroccan Press Council responded to the resolution, that was voted by the European Parliament on Jan. 19, on free speech in Morocco.
The resolution called on the Moroccan authorities to halt harassment of journalists and their families and lawyers. It gave the example of three journalists who were convicted over charges unrelated to their profession. It also pointed an accusatory finger against the authorities for using spyware against them.
The Council, which is endowed with prerogatives as a watchdog for press freedom, has been closely monitoring the incidents brought up in the resolution. The body drew attention to the unacceptable generalization in the said text when it spoke of “all journalists”.
The council also rebutted the argumentation put forward in the document because all references are based on inaccurate reports by foreign organizations. Rather, the European Parliament should have struck a balance between the narrative by foreign bodies and the discourse by Moroccan organizations. Such deontology might have led to something more neutral, more democratic.
The Council expressed its astonishment at the fact that the resolution is discrediting the Moroccan judiciary and at the same time blaming the Moroccan authorities for initiating legal proceedings in Spain against a Spanish journalist claiming that he was spied on. Some sense should be knocked into the European Parliament!
Concerning the methodology adopted by the EP, which is based on preconceived ideas and unilateral views, the Council pointed to the fact that the self-righteous body never heard the other side of the story, the plaintiffs’ testimonies. It completely discarded them and failed even to apply the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.
All in all, the EP’s blatant interference in the affairs of Morocco and its unjustified meddling in human rights and free speech in the country come at an irrelevant juncture. The aforementioned cases date back to over a year and Morocco is not witnessing any unusual happenings in the areas of press freedom or human rights.
The country believes in diversity, pluralism and continuous reforms, but will not yield to diplomatic pressure to serve some agendas, it concluded.