Morocco: controversial exiled journalist arrested
On July 12th, Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet was detained at Tangier airport on several outstanding arrest warrants for “disseminating false information harmful to constitutional institutions,” according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). On July 13th, Yabiladi reported that the warrants stemmed from complaints lodged by individuals and institutions accusing him of defamation, slander and spreading false information.
On July 14th, prosecutors confirmed the arrest, stating it had been made under previously issued warrants linked to “a series of digital posts containing defamatory and abusive remarks against individuals and institutions, and contemptuous of bodies governed by law.” They added that the arrest followed judicial complaints rather than an administrative decision.
The prosecutor’s office said Lmrabet had been transferred to the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ) in Casablanca and placed in police custody as part of the investigation. It added that he would be referred to the public prosecutor once the investigation is completed.
Lmrabet’s wife, Laura Feliú, confirmed his arrest to both EFE and AFP, telling AFP he called her at 7:00 pm upon arrival at Tangier airport. She also said this was his first trip to Morocco in “several years.”
Lmrabet, 66, a leading figure in Morocco’s independent press, holds both Moroccan and French citizenship and has been living in Spain following legal action linked to his journalism. His return was prompted by his father’s funeral, according to El País.
In 2003, Lmrabet was imprisoned and his weekly publications, Demain Magazine and the Arabic Doumane, were banned following his conviction on charges which included insulting the King of Morocco. Although sentenced to three years, he was released in early 2004 through a royal pardon.
In 2005, a Moroccan court barred him from practising journalism for 10 years after convicting him of defamation for referring to Sahrawis living in the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria as “refugees” rather than “captives” of the Polisario Front, the Western Sahara liberation movement.
Human rights organisations and press freedom groups have alleged that the latest arrest is politically motivated.
Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP that they “stand mobilised alongside the journalist and will closely monitor developments in this case,” adding that it “calls on Moroccan authorities to scrupulously respect Ali Lmrabet’s procedural rights and guarantee his access to a lawyer of his choice.”
The General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, Anthony Bellanger, has said: “We strongly condemn the arrest of journalist Ali Lmrabet and demand his immediate and unconditional release. We urge the Moroccan authorities to uphold Lmrabet’s rights. We also reiterate that Morocco should reform its outdated laws that criminalise press offences. Ali Lmrabet must be set free.”
The Moroccan Body for the Support of Political Prisoners has also condemned the arrest and called for Lmrabet’s “immediate release.”
Press freedom in Morocco has come under sustained criticism in recent years. Figures released by Morocco’s Public Prosecution showed a 147.6% increase in the number of journalists prosecuted in 2024 compared with 2023. In 2025, further controversy arose after published excerpts from a meeting of the ethics committee of the Provisional Commission on the Press and Publishing alleged unethical conduct and legal breaches by commission members.
Yabiladi and agencies, Agence France-Presse and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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