This article is part of a series of articles published in conjunction with our annual report. You can read the full report “Reaching Further” here.
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After 25 year of passivity, on January 19, 2023, the European Parliament adopted an emergency resolution on human rights in Morocco. This historic decision called on the Moroccan authorities not only to respect freedom of expression and the media, but also to ensure that the three journalists currently imprisoned in Morocco receive a fair trial and provisional release. The efforts made and the meetings organized have put Morocco back on the agenda of the most active political groups on the Human Rights Commission (DROI).
In the framework of ProtectDefenders.eu, RSF was able to conduct a serie of advocacy actions which led to the unprecetended resolution adopted by the European Parliament on human rights in Morocco. Even if non-binding, this resolution contributes to raising awarness about violation of HRDs’ rights. Indeed, this resolution called for the relaease of journalists, including Omar Radi for which RSF has been adovacting since 2020. In this resolution, the Euopean Parliament also censured the widespread use of the invasive Pegasus programme in Morocco, taregetting HRDs including journalists.
To draw attention to the intimidation and judicial harassment to which human rights defenders, and Moroccan journalists in particular, are subjected to, RSF has deployed a number of advocacy actions with the European Parliament (EP), within ProtectDefenders.eu: meetings with members of the EP, 46 letters of interpellation sent to EP members, followed by an attempt at a transpartisan resolution with a coalition of international and local NGOs to push the request for a resolution with various political groups. in addition, RSF published several press releases to condemn the flagrant and severe violation of journalists’ rights detained in Morocco and attended the hearing of both Omar Radi and Souleiman Raissouni in Juli 2023. The combination of these actions were instrumental in securing this historic resolution from the European Parliament.
RSF coordinated with the FIDH and the other organisations outside of ProtectDefenders.eu — Acces Now, Association Marocaine des Droits de l’Homme (AMDH), Euromed Rights, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Khmissa Collective, MENA Rights Group, the International Women’s Media Foundation – to address letters to members of the European Parliament calling on them to urgently address the human rights situation in Morocco, and in particular the relentless repression of journalists and bloggers.
