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Public authorities flatly refuted, on Wednesday, the publication by Human Rights Watch entitled Morocco: a critical journalist prosecuted for spying, in which the organization tries to mislead the public opinion by giving the impression that the national judicial system is not independent.
In a statement, the public authorities affirm that the judiciary is independent under the Constitution and that the implementation of guarantees of the independence of magistrates falls under the prerogatives of the Higher Council of the Judiciary, a special constitutional institution, independent from the executive and legislative powers.
This institution had published, on September 15, 2020, a press release defending the independence and inviolability of the judiciary, in response to certain international NGOs which, instead of contributing to the consolidation of this independence, are calling for putting pressure to undermine it, the same source recalled.
The Moroccan justice is the only party responsible for the case of the person concerned, prosecuted for his alleged involvement in the perpetration of acts incriminated by the Moroccan criminal law, the public authorities insisted. These are acts punishable by legal measures and procedures that meet the requirements of a fair trial, the same source said.
This legal action is in not linked to the job of the person concerned. Only the Moroccan Press and Publishing Code is entitled to govern the latter's articles and investigations, knowing that the capacity of journalist does not exempt the person from legal proceedings, if the charges brought against the defendant constitute material and moral legal elements of a crime which falls under the public law, the statement explained.
The public authorities categorically reject HRW's repeated attempts to take on roles unrelated to the defense of human rights, as in its latest publication which attempted to cast doubt on judgments, to exploit, in bad faith, the confidentiality of judicial investigations, and to influence the normal course of a judicial case which is at its very beginning.
The Organization tried to present an image contrary to the case's ins and outs and misinterpreted legal and judicial texts and procedures without providing tangible legal or material evidence on the non-veracity of the criminal acts stated in the said case, an action that only the judiciary are entitled to take in all legal systems, the statement said.
The false conclusions and pre-judgments contained in the publication can only reflect methodological bases which are devoid of objectivity and marred with selectivity, an approach which is specific to the organization in dealing with the human rights situation in Morocco, the statement added.
The authorities are surprised by HRW's denial of the right to freedom of expression and opinion to some national media outlets over the only reason of publishing articles which are not necessarily in harmony with the conclusions of the organization and the directives of its supporting parties, the same source noted.
In addition, the organization adopted a single-party versions as is the case concerning the suspected rape and indecent assault, since the organization violated the right of the person concerned to judicial protection. Worse still, it has deliberately denied her professional capacity, a fact also noted by the National Union of the Moroccan Press in its press release of September 24, 2020, it concluded.
