In a climate of tension between Rabat and Paris, the mission of Morocco’s ambassador to France ended this week, without a successor being appointed.
The European Parliament votes a resolution that does not please Morocco
The date of the end of the mission of the Moroccan diplomatic representative in France “comes the day when the European Parliament voted a resolution calling on the Moroccan authorities to respect the freedom of the press”, writes the media Hespress.
“It can’t be a simple coincidence”, notes the Medias 24 news site, which describes “an announcement as sober and cold as Morocco’s anger can be”.
Respect for media freedom
On January 19, the European Parliament adopted by a large majority a non-binding resolution urging the Moroccan authorities to “respect freedom of expression and freedom of the media” and to put an end to the “harassment of all journalists”. Moroccan politicians and some media have accused France of orchestrating an anti-Moroccan campaign in Brussels.
The chairman of the Morocco-EU joint parliamentary committee Lahcen Haddad has also accused “the French state” of being behind the resolution of the Euro-deputies.
Moroccan journalists cannot criticize
In preventive detention for a year, the journalist Omar Radi denied the charges of espionage before the court of Casablanca, Tuesday, July 6. Another journalist, Soulaimane Raissounivery weakened by a hunger strike for several months, did not appear at his trial, his lawyers withdrew after the rejection of a request for hospitalization by the journalist.
Ranked 136e Out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) world press freedom index, Morocco has slipped three places this year.
For others, the reason is different
The decision was taken by Mohamed VI on January 19, according to a press release from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relayed by Moroccan media. His successor has not yet been appointed, knowing that this decision would be linked to the condemnation of Rabat in the corruption case that splashed the European Parliament called “Marocgate”.
France would have denied all these allegations.
