Violence, Censorship and Freedom of Press: The Moroccan case (Final Part)

“The freedom of the press is an idealistic concept in Media; the press sticks to its independence because it challenges its credibility but also because that this latter is selling it”, reveal Mr. Hidass, the Media expert. In fact, according to the UNECSO definition, “To be free, a press must be independent and pluralistic: Independent of any government, political, economic or any control of the means of it production and diffusion to control it spread; pluralistic by the absence of any media monopoly, the existence of the largest number of newspapers reflecting the widest range of opinion in the community.” 

Nevertheless, wining in autonomy on the "power of money" remains the main challenge for the media in the all over the world. Media must have professional teams receiving adequate training. As for journalists have the obligation to respect the ethics of their profession in order to regain the respect of their audience.

The media in Morocco is still a hot topic. The announcement of the forthcoming reform of the code of press is intending the promulgation of a new modern text without deprivation of liberty which guarantee the right of access to information, and set up mechanisms of self-regulation of the profession. It occurs to be in line with the new constitutional provisions of 2011 and international conventions by preparing a project that provides freedom of the press while enabling the sector to regulate itself.   

For the record, Ali Anouzla is known for its critical stance towards the regime while working in the online media independent platform “Lakome”. In August 2013, the website was behind the King’s pardon for a convicted Spanish paedophile known as the Daniel Gate. On the occasion of the World Day of Press Freedom held on May 3th, the journalist was listed among the "100 heroes of information" by RSF.

Anouzla’s trial is registered in the history of lawsuits against the most publicized journalists in Morocco and abroad.  In May 30^th, the Ali Anouzla’s case finally get settle. The Court of Appeal issued one month suspended prison sentence with 5,000 dirhams fine against Ali Anouzla.

Despite high profile cases like Ali Anouzla’s case, Mustapha El Khalfi, who is minister of communication and a government spokesman, said “the freedom of the press is experiencing some improvement.” As a matter of fact, court cases concerning the press have decreased more in 2013 than in 2012. According to El Khalfi, there were only 48 such cases in 2013 compared to 106 the previous year.