Preventive detention of Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi & 2 other HRDs because of social media posts, in the context of COVID-19
On 4 September 2020, human rights defender Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi was released from prison after completing his four month sentence.
On 28 May 2020, the Court of First Instance of Jorf El Melha sentenced human rights defender Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi to four months' imprisonment. He is charged with defamation regarding a social media post he made in the context of COVID-19.
Between late April and early May 2020, several human rights defenders in Morocco have been subjected to preventive detention as a result of their posts on social media, on the issue of human rights and the response by the Moroccan authorities during COVID-19. Front Line Defenders believes that the detention of Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi, Omar Naji and Siham El Makrini is a worrying pattern which may become formalised if the proposed law No.22-20, which would restrict the ability to defend human rights on social media, is to pass.
Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi is a member of the National Instance for Human Rights and a blogger. His human rights work focuses primarily on corruption issues.
On 4 September 2020, human rights defender Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi was released from prison after completing his four month sentence.
On 28 May 2020, the Court of First Instance of Jorf El Melha sentenced Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi to four months in prison for defamation. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hearing was held via video-link, however slow internet connection hindered the human rights defender’s ability to participate in the session. In addition, the defender reported that the court refused to hear the testimonies from a number of witnesses that he had proposed.
As well as undergoing periods in solitary confinement, Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi, was verbally abused by the prison director, banned from making phone calls to his family and lawyers, held in unhygienic conditions, and not provided with adequate health care for his medical conditions. In reaction to such treatment, on 5 August 2020, Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi started an open-ended hunger strike. He ended it a few days later, on 8 August 2020, after his health significantly deteriorated.
On 28 May 2020, the Court of First Instance of Jorf El Melha sentenced human rights defender Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi to four months' imprisonment. He is charged with defamation regarding a social media post he made in the context of COVID-19.
Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi is a member of the National Instance for Human Rights and a blogger. His human rights work focuses primarily on corruption issues.
On 5 May 2020, Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi was summoned to Jorf El Melha police station regarding a post he made on social media, in which he exposed corruption related to the issuing of transport permits, which are necessary for traveling in Morocco during COVID-19. He was interrogated for seven hours without the presence of his lawyer, following which he was placed in preventive detention. He was detained for 48 hours at the police station before being transferred to the public prison. In the 48 hours he spent in detention at the police station, he was not given any food.
Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi’s hearing was initially scheduled to take place on 21 May 2020, but was re-scheduled for 28 May. On 28 May 2020, he was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment on charges of defamation. Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi had been held in preventive detention since 5 May 2020.
Front Line Defenders calls for the release of Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi and the quashing of the charges against him, as it believes they are in direct reprisal for his legitimate and peaceful human rights work. Front Line Defenders is particularly concerned regarding the recent pattern of arrests of human rights defenders in relation to their social media posts in the context of COVID-19, in which they were exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Between late April and early May 2020, several human rights defenders in Morocco have been subjected to preventive detention as a result of their posts on social media, on the issue of human rights and the response by the Moroccan authorities during COVID-19. Front Line Defenders believes that the detention of Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi, Omar Naji and Siham El Makrini is a worrying pattern which may become formalised if the proposed law No22-20, which would restrict the ability to defend human rights on social media, is to pass.
Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi is a member of the National Instance for Human Rights and a blogger. His human rights work focuses primarily on corruption issues. Omar Naji is a human rights defender who works on refugee and immigration issues, and is vice-president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in the Nador city branch. Siham El Makrini, is a woman human rights defender whose work is focused on the promotion of women’s rights in Morocco. She is also a member of the Nador city branch of AMDH and is a member of the Teacher’s National Coordination, which works to promote teachers’ economic rights. Siham El Makrini is also part of the Rif movement in the north of the country.
On 5 May 2020, Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi was summoned to Jorf El Melha police station regarding a post he made on social media, in which he exposed corruption related to the issuing of transport permits, which are necessary for travelling in Morocco during COVID-19. He was interrogated for seven hours without the presence of his lawyer, following which he was placed in preventive detention. He was detained for 48 hours at the police station before being transferred to the public prison, where he remains at the time of writing. In the 48 hours he spent in detention at the police station, he was not given any food. Abdel Fattah Bouchikhi has been charged with defamation and his hearing is scheduled for 21 May 2020.
On 27 April 2020, Omar Naji was summoned to the Cybercrime police section in Nador city, following a complaint submitted by the Nador city governor regarding a social media post he had made. In the post, Omar Naji defended the economic rights of the street hawkers in the city, following the confiscation of their goods by the police due to COVID-19 restrictions. He was placed under preventive detention for almost 24 hours, before being granted release on a bail of 10000 Dirham (approximately 900 Euros). Omar Naji’s hearing is scheduled for 2 June 2020 under the charges of ‘defamation’, ‘the spread of false news for the purpose of insulting the public institutions’ and ‘publishing photos of persons without their consent’.
On 5 May 2020, several police officers dressed in plain clothes arrested woman human rights Siham El Makrini at her home. She was brought to the police station in Nador city, where she was interrogated for almost two hours without the presence of her lawyer, regarding a post she had made on social media which called for improved economic rights for teachers in Morocco. Siham El Makrini has been charged with ‘incitement’ with regard to her social media post, the hearing for which has not yet been scheduled. On 17 May 2020, Siham El Makrini’s home was raided and vandalised by unknown individuals, which she believes to be connected to the charges against her and her human rights activities. The woman human rights defender has been previously harassed by Moroccan authorities. In 2018, Siham El Makrini was physically attacked by a group of police officers, fracturing her arm.
Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned regarding the continuous harassment of human rights defenders in Morocco regarding their social media posts which promote human rights and criticise the government’s response to COVID-19. In this context, it is particularly concerned about the approval of the first drafts of law No:22-20 by the Moroccan Government Council on 19 March 2020. The proposed law includes vague articles which would restrict the ability to defend and advocate for human rights on social media.
