Hirak leaders have been tapped for four months

The Moroccan authorities have been tapping for several months thirty leaders of the Hirak movement, who are currently tried in Casablanca, said today the Arabic-language newspaper Al Masae, quoted by Efe.

Nasser Zefzafi, figurehead of the Riffian protest movement was also tapped as well as other activists currently in pretrial detention in the prison of Oukacha.

The court order, which has been published for several days on social media, was issued by the Rabat Court of Appeal in December 2016.

The Attorney General had demanded that several activists be tapped, accusing them of «conspiring against the state, and allowing the judiciary police to follow their movements, compile data on this criminal network and detect possible ramifications inside and outside Morocco».

Al Masae recalls that these wiretaps have already been discussed during the trial currently taking place in Casablanca, between defense lawyers and the Attorney General, creating tension between the two parties.