Morocco: veteran journalist Ali Lmrabet faces renewed legal harassment as authorities crack down
- RSF
Franco-Moroccan investigative journalist Ali Lmrabet was detained at Tangier airport upon arrival on July 12 and transferred to Casablanca, where authorities placed him in custody under allegations of “presumed dissemination of false information.” Reporters Without Borders has condemned the move and demanded his immediate release.
The journalist had arrived from Spain for routine administrative procedures when security forces intercepted him at Tangier’s Ibn Battouta airport. Authorities transferred him to Casablanca for questioning by the National Judicial Police Brigade regarding multiple outstanding warrants linked to digital publications deemed defamatory toward individuals and state institutions. While in custody, he faces charges of “presumably spreading false information that undermines constitutional institutions.”
“The detention of Ali Lmrabet is deeply alarming and follows a pattern of using judicial proceedings to silence dissent. His release must be secured immediately. For decades, Lmrabet has championed journalism and the right to truthful information—values Morocco has publicly pledged to uphold. Criminalizing journalism is not justice; it is the weaponization of law to suppress free expression.”
A trailblazer of independent journalism
With a career spanning over two decades, Lmrabet has been a persistent voice of scrutiny in Morocco’s media landscape. As founder of the now-defunct Demain Magazine and Doumane, he faced imprisonment in 2003 for “contempt of the king” after publishing criticism of state authorities. Though initially sentenced to four years in prison, he was pardoned by the monarch the following year.
A 2005 conviction for defamation barred him from practicing journalism in Morocco. Undeterred, he continued his work from exile in France and Spain, where he holds dual citizenship. His reporting on politically sensitive topics—including national security matters—has appeared in prominent Spanish outlets such as El Mundo and El País. Recognized globally for his commitment to press freedom, Lmrabet was named one of RSF’s 100 Information Heroes in 2014. He regularly publishes video analyses on his YouTube channel, addressing pressing political developments.
Despite repeated attempts by Moroccan authorities to pursue legal action against him in Spain and France—efforts that were consistently dismissed—Lmrabet has returned to Morocco multiple times for family visits without incident, according to his wife, Laura Feliu. Morocco currently ranks 105th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index.
