(Rabat) Journalists and rights defenders imprisoned in Morocco are “deprived of the right to read and write”, accused the NGO Amnesty International, the Moroccan authorities assuring Thursday that they are in fact prisoners of common right.

“Journalists and an academic are deprived of the right to read and write in Moroccan prisons,” the NGO said in a statement released Wednesday, denouncing “a deliberate attack on their freedom of expression.”

They are journalists Soulaimane Raissouni, Omar Radi and Taoufik Bouachrine, sentenced respectively to five, six and fifteen years in prison in cases of sexual assault.

But also ex-president Mohamed Ziane, who is serving a 3-year prison sentence including for “sexual harassment” and “adultery”, and human rights defender Rida Benotmane, sentenced to 18 months in prison for publications reviews on Facebook.

Charges they have always denied.

In a report published in July 2022, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced “techniques of repression”, including common law trials targeting opponents and “often marred by serious violations of the right to due process and justice”. .

Amnesty, citing relatives, claimed that detainees had their manuscripts “confiscated” or were “deprived” of the right to write.

The prison administration denied on Thursday that Mr. Radi was prevented from writing, saying that he “has pens and papers” as well as “books, newspapers and magazines”, without mentioning the other cases.

In its press release, the international NGO reiterated its call for the release of imprisoned journalists and academics.

But for the Moroccan authorities, they were convicted in cases that “have nothing to do” with freedom of expression.

Morocco slipped to 144th place (-9) in the latest world press freedom index published on Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for the year 2023.

Reacting to the ranking, Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said on Thursday that RSF was “known for its systematic hostility towards Morocco”, adding that “the Moroccan government accepts all criticism with an open heart, provided it is objective and constructive”.