Morocco: activist Fouad Abdelmoumni arrested for disseminating “false information”

Morocco: activist Fouad Abdelmoumni arrested for disseminating “false information”

ByThe Mwebantu Team

Moroccan activist Fouad Abdelmoumni was taken into police custody for mentioning “Morocco’s involvement in spying on France” through the Israeli Pegasus spyware.

The Moroccan prosecutor’s office announced Thursday the custody of human rights defender Fouad Abdelmoumni, currently the subject of an investigation for “spreading false information”. This follows a publication in which he criticizes, the “involvement of Morocco in spying on France”.

In his post published Tuesday on Facebook, he wrote: “France, which sees its position declining among all nations, would not want to give in to the blackmail of a weak State which uses all the means of pressure at its disposal (…) without forgetting espionage”. The statement coincided with a three-day state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco, marking a reconciliation between Paris and Rabat after several years of tensions.

Aged 66, Fouad Abdelmoumni was arrested on Wednesday, then placed in police custody for having, according to the public prosecutor cited by the Moroccan agency MAP, “reported a notoriously fictitious crime which he knew did not exist” and “disseminated numerous false information”.

A critical figure of the Moroccan authorities and member of the Federation of the Democratic Left, the activist should appear Friday before the king’s prosecutor at the Casablanca court of first instance, his lawyer, Me Mohammed Nouini, told AFP.

The Mwebantu Team
The Mwebantu Team

Led by Nia, the insightful editor-in-chief, Kwame, our technology expert, and Amara, the bold field reporter, the Mwebantu team weaves the vibrant narrative of Africa every day, forging a narrative bridge between the continent and the world. Their shared passion illuminates the mission of Mwebantu News, making African voices resonate on the global stage.