Morocco: Outrage Grows Over Escalating Defamation Against Independent Voices
Moroccan media and political bodies have warned against the rising wave of defamation and fabricated scandals targeting the country’s independent voices, underscoring the urgent need for unity to put an end to media blackmail and the exploitation of citizens’ reputations.
In this regard, the “Committee of Journalists for Free and Independent Media” denounced the “excesses” of defamation journalism in the country, expressing its outright rejection of Parliament’s ratification of the bill to reorganize the National Press Council, as it serves a “self-serving alliance” between the authorities and media capital and opens the door wide for “defamation journalism” to dominate the media landscape.
The committee renewed its call for an immediate dissolution of the National Press Council in its current state, declaring its intention to undertake escalatory forms of activism to safeguard journalists’ dignity and protect media independence in Morocco.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Moroccan Liberal Party (PML), Isaac Charia, called for confronting and dismantling what he described as the “machinery of defamation and media blackmail,” stressing that it represents “one of the biggest political battles in Morocco.” The party’s official explained privacy invasion and defamation journalism has shifted from a “marginal practice” into a “mechanism” that pressures independent voices through “fabricated scandals,” noting the existence of a “rentier system” that uses the media for blackmail. He described these practices as “the ugliest forms of fraud and deception.” For his part, Secretary-General of the Popular Movement and parliamentarian Mohammed Ouzzine criticized Morocco’s “yellow journalism,” denouncing the misconduct of some media outlets and publishing “trivial news” as their primary editorial line, while expressing regret that the owners of these outlets benefit from public funds.
The Women’s Organization of the federal Democratic Left “Nefid” condemned the rise of defamation campaigns targeting human rights defenders and trade unionists, describing these attacks as nothing more than a desperate attempt to silence independent union voices and intimidate anyone who exposes networks of corruption.
The organization cited the case of trade union activist Loubna Najib, a member of its National Council, who has faced harassment due to her bold trade-union stances and her efforts to expose corruption and exploitation affecting vulnerable groups.
The organization emphasized that “defamation will not break the activist’s resolve,” stressing that “the fight for dignity and social rights continues and will not be intimidated by blackmail or defamation tactics.” According to documentation by numerous human rights activists and journalists, Morocco is witnessing a rise in human rights violations, with freedom of expression and peaceful assembly increasingly treated as criminal offenses, while defamation campaigns against human rights defenders and independent journalists continue to grow.
The Moroccan body for the Support of Political Prisoners (Himam), in a communiqué, reported a new wave of defamation and arbitrary arrests targeting independent voices demanding social and political justice.
