Imprisoned since 2020, journalist and rights defender Omar Radi has been transferred from Casablanca prison to Tiflet prison in Morocco. His family denounces the hardening of his conditions of detention.
Moroccan journalist and human rights defender Omar Radi has been transferred from Casablanca prison to Tiflet prison, nearly 150 kilometers away, his father said on Saturday, April 2, denouncing a “hardening” of the conditions of his imprisonment.
“Vengeance towards him, his family, and his defense committee”
Arrested and charged in July 2020, Omar Radi, 35, known for his critical positions towards power, was sentenced on appeal on March 3 to six years in prison in a double case of “espionage” and “rape”, charges he has always denied.
According to Idris Radi, Omar’s father, his son’s transfer from Casablanca prison, where he had been held since his incarceration, to that of Tiflet is a sign of “hardening of his detention and revenge towards him, his family and his defense committee.
“With this transfer, (Omar) has moved a lot away from the hospital where he was undergoing treatment in Casablanca,” he added to AFP, claiming that his son suffers from Crohn’s disease, a disease chronic condition that he says requires ongoing medical attention.
Amnesty International denounces restrictions on freedom of expression in Morocco
Omar Radi was arrested after the publication of a report by Amnesty International claiming that the journalist’s phone had been hacked by the Moroccan authorities using the Israeli software Pegasus. Rabat denied it, denouncing an “international defamation campaign”.
On Wednesday, in a new report, the NGO denounced “the continued restrictions” against freedom of expression in Morocco, accusing the authorities of exploiting the state of health emergency to prevent peaceful demonstrations.
In a press release, the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH), an official body, accused Amnesty on Friday of “interfering in the affairs of justice”, considering that the position of the NGO “is nothing but political interference in an action which is a matter of national sovereignty”.
Morocco ranks 136th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders association’s world press freedom index.
