Moroccan journalist Omar Radi breaks the hunger strike due to ill health
Imprisoned Moroccan journalist Omar Radi has suspended his three-week hunger strike due to a “significant deterioration” in his health, his father said on Friday.
Radi and fellow journalist Soulaimane Raissouni went on hunger strike earlier in April, demanding their temporary release, after being detained for several months awaiting trial in their case.
Radi, 34, decided to “temporarily suspend his hunger strike” due to “the significant deterioration in his health over the past two days,” his father Driss Radi said on Facebook.
Raissouni, on hunger strike for 23 days, continues its protest.
Radi was known for his human rights work and was detained in July and accused of receiving foreign funds in order to harm “state security”, the Ministry of Justice said at the time.
He is also charged separately with rape. He denies all charges and “continues to defend his constitutional right to a fair trial,” his father added.
Radi’s trial has been postponed twice, with the next hearing scheduled for May 18.
Raissouni, editor-in-chief of the Moroccan independent daily Akhbar Al-Yaoum, faces charges of “indecent assault” on another man. He also denies all charges.
‘Freedom of the press in Morocco under siege’
Supporters claim that the cases are part of a defamation campaign aimed at journalists and rights activists who are critical of Moroccan authorities.
In a statement released earlier this month calling for a fair trial against Radi, New York-based Human Rights Watch noted that his arrest comes “in a context where what remains of Morocco’s press freedom is under siege and those who dare to go public” “criticizes the increasingly repressive regime that is being prosecuted for dubious accusations and defamation campaigns by media close to the authorities. Among these attacks, Akhbar al-Yaoum, one of the last independent newspapers in the country, ended its activities after 14 years.”
The statement, which was also signed by 14 other leading human rights groups, called on the international community to “pressure the Moroccan authorities to ensure that no defendants are detained in advance except for compelling reasons stated and regularly reviewed by an independent judicial body.” Prison before trial should be the exception, not the rule “.
The Moroccan government denies the allegations and has emphasized the independence of the judiciary.
( Jowharwith AFP)
