Morocco: leaked videos force Press Council member to step down

Leaked video recordings of a Press Committee meeting by journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui have led to a major scandal in Morocco, forcing Hamid Saadni, information director of state TV channel 2M, to step down from his position on the panel, according to a report by L’Opinion on 26th November.

The videos leaked by El Mahdaoui show members of the National Press ethics committee seemingly violating regulations during a meeting by showing partiality and personally insulting journalists and their lawyers, while they were supposed to be reviewing the rejection of El Mahdaoui’s request for a press card. Saadni, who doesn’t appear on the videos, announced on social media that he was suspending his participation to the committee whilst waiting for the matter to be resolved.

A petition signed by over 200 Moroccan journalists demanded the dissolution of the ethics committee, while several politicians joined in on the controversy. The Rabat Bar Association also condemned the panel, noting that their actions were detrimental to the honour of lawyers, which is an offense in Morocco.

Journalist El Mahdaoui is not new to controversy; he is a well known anti-corruption activist who spent 3 years in jail for his involvement with the Hirak Rif protest movement. He was released in 2020, but once again received an 18-months sentence for defamation, against Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi.

El Mahdaoui operates a very popular YouTube channel called ‘Badil’, on which he discusses current affairs. It was on this platform that he published the controversial videos.

The new case raises questions about press independence and corruption in Morocco, as the videos also reveal the influence of the current government on media policies. Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has been working on a draft law to reorganise the Press Committee, which would see panel members nominated by the government rather than elected.

While the government didn’t issue an official response to the scandal, government-friendly media were very critical of El Mahdaoui, with Express TV accusing him of “blackmail”.

L’Opinion, Maghrebi.org, Express TV