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The scandal currently shaking Morocco’s press and publishing regulator, following revelations by journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui, has pushed Khalid El Horri, a member of the Ethics Committee within the Provisional Commission for the Management of Press and Publishing, to break his silence. El Horri has issued his «sincere apologies» to the president of the bar as well as to all lawyers who may have been offended by the remarks revealed by El Mahdaoui.
El Horri acknowledges that his tone during the meeting «lacked sufficient restraint» and reiterates his «deep respect for the legal profession and its essential role in protecting rights and upholding the rule of law».
The editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language daily Assabah stresses that the Ethics Committee meeting, held behind closed doors last April, was the subject of «leaked, fragmented and distorted excerpts». He explains that his comments were made in «a moment of emotion during an internal professional discussion» and were never meant to «undermine the integrity of lawyers».
In his statement, El Horri argues that the «deliberate leak and systematic distortion» of the meeting’s content constitute «dangerous behavior» that undermines the trust essential to the proper functioning of committees, breaches fundamental principles of confidentiality and responsibility, and damages both the legal and journalistic professions. He denounces the act as being «contrary to the ethics of the legal and media professions».
Khalid El Horri was appointed to the Provisional Commission by the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch.
