04 August 2009
IFJ Condemns Seizure of Magazines in Morocco
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today strongly condemned the
order issued last Saturday by the Minister of the Interior to seize and destroy
over 100,000 copies of two weeklies, TelQuel and Nichane magazines,
which carried results of an opinion poll on King Mohammed
VI's decade on the throne.
According
to the Syndicat National de la Presse Marocaine (SNPM), an IFJ affiliate, the
order was implemented while the magazines were in press. The ministry alleges
that the publishers, the TelQuel group, contravened current legislation by
publishing, in partnership with the French daily Le Monde, the results
of an opinion poll on the balance sheet of ten years of government since King
Mohamed 6th came to power.
"Once again the Moroccan authorities have scored an
own goal. To mark the tenth anniversary of the king's accession to the throne,
they have been trumpeting new liberties they claim he initiated in matters
of press freedom and civil liberties," said Jim
Boumelha, IFJ President."By banning the publication of a mere
opinion poll, the authorities have shown they are still prepared to behave as intolerant
dictators."
According
to the syndicate, the decision was doubly illegal as there is no legislative
text that allows the pulping of newspapers without a judicial order nor any
legislation that forbids the publication of opinion polls.
This
particular opinion poll showed more than 91% of Moroccan citizens rated the
balance sheet of the decade of the king's ruled as either "positive" or "very
positive".
"Opinion polls, the world over, are well-proven
tools to advance democracy and governance. By saying that their king cannot be
subject to an evaluation by his own people, the Moroccan authorities have once
again set back freedom of opinion and freedom of the press. They will be judged
by their actions and will find it more and more difficult to convince the world
that they are sincere democrats," added Boumelha.
In 2007, the Nichane magazine was suspended for two months and its Director Driss Ksikess and journalist Sanaa
Al-Aji ordered to pay a fine of about 8,000 US$ by a court in Morocco
following publication of jokes about Islam, sex and politics.
For more information
contact the IFJ at +32 2 235 2207
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists
in 123 countries worldwide
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