“The Brussels Times” Exposes Mistreatment of Moroccan Journalist

Belgian news outlet “The Brussels Times” exposed the mistreatment of Moroccan journalist Yassin Akouh by the Brussels police who arrested and fined him while covering riots that happened following the Morocco-France semi-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The Moroccan journalist was detained after he went to Lemonnier on Dec.14 to report the incidents despite repeatedly identifying himself as a journalist.
Akouh was hit with a €350 fine, on Jan. 23, by Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police for participating in the riots.
Police officers pushed Akouh to the ground, tied his hands, and threatened suing him if he ever publishes any pictures.
“I was handcuffed but managed to give him my press card. He looked at it and literally started laughing”, said Akouh.
Pavol Szalai, Head of EU/Balkans Desk at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) regretted the arbitrary behavior of the police towards Akouh and called on the police to drop the fine as he was simply doing his duty.