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According to the latest World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, an international NGO based in Paris, Morocco’s media «continue to be subjected to judicial harassment».
Released Tuesday, the annual report, which presents the 2020 press freedom barometer, ranked the Kingdom 133rd among 180 countries in the world. Compared to the report’s 2019 edition, the Kingdom has managed to climb two steps in the ladder but lost 1.10 from its global score.
Scoring 42.88 points (with 0 being the best score), Morocco is positioned 3rd in North Africa, behind Tunisia 72nd, the best-rated country in the MENA region and Mauritania 97th.
Reporters Without Borders’ ranking puts Morocco ahead of other neighboring countries, including Algeria 146th, and Libya 164th and Egypt 166th and behind other Arab countries, including Lebanon 102nd, Kuwait 109th, Jordan 128th, Qatar 129th and UAE 131st.
Freedom of press in Morocco
Studying the situation of journalists and citizen-journalists, the Reporters Without Borders indicate that Morocco has «risen two places in the 2020 index, above all because of the creation of a Press Council».
The body, however, «has not as yet helped to make the environment for media and journalists any less threatening», according to the NGO. Furthermore, the report indicates that «the elimination of the ministry of communication and the creation of a press council have not helped to make the environment for media».
«Judicial harassment continues. In addition to the trials of a number of media figures that have dragged on for several years, several new prosecutions have been initiated and heavy sentences have been passed», wrote the body.
The latter referred to Taoufik Bouachrine, the columnist and editor of the Arabic-language newspaper Akhbar al-Yaoum who was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a fine of 255,000 euros on rape charges an journalist and human rights defender Omar Radi who was given a four-month suspended prison sentence for a single tweet criticizing a judicial decision.
For the record, the report was topped by Norway 1st, Finland 2nd, Denmark 3th, Sweden 4th and the Netherlands 5th. Djibouti, China, Eretria, Turkmenistan, North Korea are at the bottom of the ranking.
