Journalist barred from participating as guest on television programme

In a letter to Minister of Communications Mohammed Achaari, Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders – RSF) expressed its concern about the ban on Ahmed El Bouz, sub-editor of the Arabic-language weekly Assahifa Ousbouiya, from speaking on a programme of the 2M television station. "We ask that you explain this decision and particularly 2M news director Samira Sitaïl's remarks," stated Robert Ménard, the organisation's secretary-general. According to information collected by RSF, the news director of the 2M television network's second channel, based in Casablanca, Ahmed El Bouz, a journalist from the Casablanca-based Arabic-language weekly Assahifa Ousbouiya, from participating as a guest on one of the station's programmes. Sub-editor El Bouz had earlier been invited by Hamid Saâdeni to speak on the 5 January 2002 episode of the "Lil sahafa raie" (The Press Has an Opinion) programme, which is broadcast live on 2M on Saturdays at around 1:00 p.m. (local time). Yet on 4 January, Saâdeni called El Bouz in order to tell him that "after having checked the list of invited guests for (this Saturday's programme), news director Sitaïl had crossed out (the journalist's) name and stated that as long as she was 2M's news director, neither Assahifa Ousbouiya nor Le Journal hebdomadaire would be invited as guests on any of the station's programmes." Contacted by Aboubakr Jamaï, publication director of Assahifa Ousbouiya and Le Journal hebdomadaire, Sitaïl confirmed her statement and added that she "(took) responsibility for these facts." On 2 December 2000, Le Journal and Assahifa were banned after publishing a letter credited to former opposition figure Mohamed Basri, which stated that the Moroccan Left was involved in the attempted coup d'état against King Hassan II in 1972, and directly implicated current Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi. The two newspapers were allowed to publish again under new names (Assahifa Ousbouiya and Le Journal hebdomadaire) in January 2001.