Saeed Kamali, a journalist working for the Guardian was allegedly expelled from Morocco

Saeed Kamali Dehghan, a journalist who works for the Guardian, was expelled from Morocco on the 28th of September while making reportage on the Hirak in Al Hoceima. He was indeed taken to Mohammed  V airport in Casablanca to fly to London, after being arrested by the authorities, on September the 27th, in Al Hoceima, reports TelQuel.

The Iranian-born journalist arrived in Morocco on the 25th of September to cover Women in Africa Forum, bringing together influential women from the African continent. On September the 27th, Saeed Kamali Dehghan traveled to Al Hoceima to report on the Hirak movement in the Rif, where he met Hirak figures.

«He had contacted me to see me and make an article about the Hirak. With Nawal Benaissa (figure of the Hirak), we saw him on September 27th, at the Mercure hotel. We talked about the Hirak, about my relationship with the Salafia ...», explains El Mortada Iamrachen to our colleagues. Before adding that «after thirty minutes, men in civilian clothes came to look for him. He got up, and he came back and told us he had to go to the police station. I asked what was going on. They said that everything was fine. Since then, there has been no news.»

A source from the government told Telquel  : «We were obliged to take this step to comply with the law. A foreign journalist should contact the administration to be accredited. Unfortunately, he did not contact the Administration to facilitate his work». 

Saeed Kamali Dehghan was named the journalist of the year in 2010 by the Foreign Press Association and has previously worked as correspondant for the Guardian in Iran.