Goodwill reprieve for Tel Quel.

The unease about the way authorities have handled ( or misshandled ) the Tel Quel debacle has been simmering for a long time now and for those of you who are not up to speed on the issue, check out our earlier stories (linked below). But in brief - Morocco's most popular weekly - TelQuel magazine, published in its issue N°184 an article criticizing a deputy from the "Middle Atlas" mountain, giving her the name of Asmaa "to avoid being accused of defamation," according to the complainant lawyer, Mohamed Jaouhari. Certainly the magazine had overstepped the mark and should at most been slapped over the wrist - instead the courts handed down sentences and fines so markedly dissproportionate that the average Moroccan's eyebrows reached new heights.


Thankfully the courts seemed to have realised that they went way too far and slowly but surely they reduced the fines and suspended the jail sentences. At one point the Casablanca Appellate Court reduced the fine against Tel Quel weekly from 99,000 USD to USD 55,000.

The court, however, maintained a USD 1,100 fine against TelQuel on a defamation charge.

The editor, Ahmed Reda Benchemsi and journalist Karim Boukhari had been ordered last December to pay a fine USD 1,100 and USD 88,000 as indemnity to the plaintiff.

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And now there has been a twist in the story that nobody could have guessed at.

Moroccan MP Halima Assali has decided to waive her right to the fine on Tel Quel of 86,500 USD (MAD 800,000) .

The Popular Movement representative, Halima Assali, decided to refuse the money publicly, stressing that her decision was not politically motivated. "My honor is definitely not worth that amount of money", she said, noting that such a defamation case will be best be settled through high moral.

For its part, Ahmed Réda Benchemsi who confirmed the information said he was satisfied... “This is a good news. With a reciprocal goodwill we can find a common ground.”

LINKS:

Call for press freedom

TelQuel Campaign

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news