Freed editor says stop jailing journalists

JournalismPakistan.com | Published 13 years ago

Moroccan editor Rachid Nini was released after completing a one-year jail sentence. He called for an end to prosecuting journalists under criminal law and urged use of a press law instead. Amnesty International said he was punished for criticizing authorities and highlighting corruption and abuses.
Summary

RABAT: A Moroccan editor who rights activists say was unjustly prosecuted for criticizing the authorities walked free after completing his one-year jail sentence and demanded an end to the practice of sending journalists to prison.

Rights group Amnesty International has described Rachid Nini as a "prisoner of conscience" and said he was punished for highlighting corruption and abuses by the kingdom's authorities, especially the security services.

Since Nini's arrest, pressure has been building for Morocco to stop using its criminal justice system to jail journalists over what they write, especially after the "Arab Spring" revolts improved media freedom in many parts of the region.

"I hope that I will be the last journalist to be imprisoned and tried under the criminal law," Nini told reporters and supporters who gathered at his home near Casablanca, Morocco's commercial capital.

"We want a press law to try journalists and not to be treated as criminals."

Nini was arrested in April last year. A court ruled he was guilty of crimes including "discrediting a court, trying to influence the judiciary and publishing information about untrue criminal offences". – Reuters

KEY POINTS:

Rachid Nini walked free after serving a one-year prison term.
He urged Morocco to stop jailing journalists under criminal law and use a press law instead.
Amnesty International described Nini as a prisoner of conscience.
He was convicted of charges including discrediting a court and publishing allegedly untrue offence information.
Pressure has grown since his arrest for Morocco to stop using criminal justice to punish journalists.