By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Moroccan human rights activist, Fouad Abdelmoumni has been arrested and detained for criticizing the government in a post on social media during the visit of French President, Emmanuel Macron.
While Macron toured Rabat with Moroccan leaders including King Mohammed VI, the activist alleged in a post that Morocco was attempting to “blackmail” France using methods including espionage and withholding cooperation on managing illegal immigration.
Prosecutors apprehended Abdelmoumni in Casablanca on Wednesday and announced he was under investigation over alleged dissemination of false information and accusing others of crimes on social media, local media reports.
If charged and convicted, he could face up to five years in prison under cybercrime statutes.
“This arbitrary arrest is part of a series of harassments targeting Abdelmoumni, as a measure aimed at retaliating against his bold positions in expressing his opinions and defending human rights,” the Moroccan Association in Support of Political Prisoners said in a statement Wednesday.
“This arrest represents a further escalation in the authorities’ policy of repression against human rights and political activists in the country,” it added.
Abdelmoumni, a former political prisoner, is the group’s coordinator.
He is likely to be charged on Friday with crimes related to the post, one of his legal representatives, Souad Brahma, said.
Brahma said Abdelmoumni was arrested for expressing his opinion and called his detention a violation of his right to freedom of expression.
On Thursday, she alleged that she was denied access to her client in detention despite receiving authorization from the court.
Macron throughout his visit referred to opening a new chapter in relations between France and Morocco after years of strain.
The causes of disagreement included the 2021 “Pegasus Affair,” in which Amnesty International and the Paris-based nonprofit group Forbidden Stories published a report, alleging that Moroccan authorities had used the Israeli software Pegasus to infiltrate the electronic devices of human rights activists including Abdelmoumni and politicians, even Macron himself.
Morocco denied the allegations and launched a legal action, claiming defamation.
Abdelmoumni has publicly supported pro-democracy efforts in the country, including during the Arab Spring and Morocco’s 2017 “Hirak” movement.
After the investigation into Pegasus software, Abdelmoumni was among the activists profiled in a 2022 Human Rights Watch report on Morocco’s targeting of critics.
