Morocco: five major attacks on journalism in the past five-year legislative term

RSF is highlighting five cases illustrating the threats to press freedom and the right to information in Morocco.

1. The disappearance of Akhbar Al-Yaoum: the start of serious legal harassment (2021)

In March 2021, the independent daily Akhbar Al-Yaoum ceased publication after years of pressure and legal proceedings against its director, Taoufik Bouachrine, who was sentenced on appeal to 15 years in prison in 2019. That same year, Akhbar Al-Yaoum's editor-in-chief, Soulaiman Raissouni, was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault without even being brought before a court. Investigative journalists Omar Radiand Imad Stitoui were sentenced to six years in prison in a case involving allegations of espionage and rape. The phones of all three men had also been targeted with the spyware Pegasus.

2. The abuse of the penal code: a systematic weapon against critical journalism (2021-2026)

Over the past five years, the use of the penal code rather than the press code against journalists has become the main legal weapon wielded against the press. After Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni's sentences were upheld by the Court of Cassation in July 2023, the tactic was used again when journalist Hamid El Mahdaouiwas sentenced to 18 months in prison on 11 November 2024. In 2025, he faced five separate legal proceedings, all brought by the same complainant, the Minister of Justice.

Other journalists have faced similar treatment, such as Hicham El Amrani from the news site Achkayen, who was prosecuted for "insults" before being acquitted in April 2025. Ali Anouzla, director of the news site Lakome, has faced prosecution since 2013 for "apology of terrorism" and his trial has been continually postponed from one hearing to the next for over a decade, making it one of the longest-running legal proceedings against a journalist on the African continent. In July 2026, Franco-Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, an independent journalist who founded the weekly publications Demain Magazine and Doumane, was also arrested upon his arrival in Morocco and released three days later. The investigation into the allegations against him remains ongoing.

3. Royal pardons and their contrasting aftermath (2024)

On 29 July 2024, a royal pardon led to the release of Taoufik Bouachrine, Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, as well as academic and press freedom advocate Maâti Monjib. Yet, hopes of a break with the past were quickly dashed. In the following months, new legal proceedings - notably against Hamid El Mahdaoui - and a wave of cyber-harassment targeted the recently released journalists and their relatives, indicating that their release from prison did not mean the pressures targeting them were lessened.

4. The National Press Council held hostage by a transitional arrangement (2023-2026)

Since the exceptional extension of its mandate in October 2022 and the establishment of a provisional committee in 2023, the National Press Council (CNP) has operated without a fully elected regulatory body. The transitional arrangement, initially intended to last two years, was extended following the failure of the 2025 elections. The authorities then reformed the legal framework governing the CNP. An initial version of the legislation was partially struck down by the Constitutional Court in January 2026 and a revised version was adopted in June. The reform did not achieve consensus: the government's bill prompted a wave of criticism within media circles, reviving concerns about a decline in press freedom. These reservations did not prevent its adoption by both chambers of Parliament. The reform did not bring the provisional arrangement to an end, which remained in place until new elections were held, ultimately on 15 September 2026.

5. Pressure while reporting on the ground: expulsions, social protests and online hate campaigns

Obstacles to accessing events and locations for news reporting remain frequent. In September 2023, French journalists Quentin Müller and Thérèse Di Campo were detained and then expelled from Casablanca while conducting a journalistic investigation. During demonstrations organised by Morocco's youth protest movement GenZ 212 in autumn 2025, several journalists were prevented from covering the gatherings, notably in Tissa and Rabat. On 28 September, for example, the phone of Yasser Al Makhtoum, a journalist for the news site Al-Yaoum 24, was briefly confiscated while he was reporting live. Nevertheless, starting 3 October 2025, several public broadcasters created a space for critical debate on the protests. This development was followed by the cyber-harassment of certain journalists, including Sanaa Rahimi of public television channel 2M.

On 15 August 2026, teams from the Spanish public news agency EFE and Spanish broadcaster RTVE were ordered to leave Fnideq while covering the attempts of Moroccan citizens to cross into the Spanish city of Ceuta. A local official from Morocco's Interior Ministry merely mentioned "instructions" without providing further justification, while the hotels hosting the two news teams were ordered to expel them.

At the same time, defamation campaigns targeting independent journalists have intensified. Outlets such as Chouf TV and Barlamane.com have accused them of fueling protests and serving foreign interests. According to RSF, an online hate campaign has targeted several journalists since late July, including Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni, Taoufik Bouachrine, Hamid El Mahdaoui and Ali Anouzla, with a peak observed between 14 and 16 September, as the electoral campaign was in full swing.

Morocco ranks 105th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index.