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Participants at a round table, organised on Saturday in Rabat, examined the restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, highlighting proposals for legal reforms capable of guaranteeing the right to a fair trial in cases relating to the press.
Speakers emphasised, during this meeting on freedom of expression and the press organised by the "Adala" (Justice) Association in partnership with the European Union and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, that the reform of the press law remains dependent on general political reform and the establishment of a real democracy, guaranteeing freedom of expression and the press.
Speaking on this occasion, Omar Bendourou, a professor at the Faculty of Law of Souissi-Rabat, stated that there is currently no organic law guaranteeing access to information, even though this was stipulated in the new Constitution.
The political scientist reviewed examples and provisions adopted in several countries in favour of press freedom, and the measures in force in Morocco for the protection of authorities and political officials against any criticism, despite the fact that the new Constitution stipulates that freedom of the press is guaranteed and cannot be limited by any form of prior censorship. For his part, Mohamed Sassi, also a university professor, suggested the abolition of custodial sentences for journalists, the simplification of publication conditions, while clarifying the concept of "defamation" and adjusting the pompous language used to describe the excesses of certain media.
Provider / Source : L.B, Libération
