Moroccan editor begins new hunger strike


The details are sketchy, and relatives seeking to speak to him have been turned away. IFEX has the Reporters Without Borders action alert:

"When the journalist's sisters went to Salé prison to visit him on 2 December, prison staff told them that Lmrabet had locked himself in his cell and was refusing to see them. Surprised by the news, his sisters asked for a signed message from their brother confirming his refusal to see them. The prison officers never brought the message, and Head Warden Abdelati Belghazi refused the sisters' request for a meeting with him to obtain news of their brother."

Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard is quoted as saying, "He suffers from worrying neurological problems, which have never been checked by a specialist. This new hunger strike could well worsen his state of health. We call for assurances about his condition and ask that his family be allowed to visit him as usual."

From journalista : Ali Lmrabet, the magazine editor sentenced back in May to four years in jail by a Moroccan judge for publishing cartoons and articles critical of Morocco's ruling establishment -- the sentence was reduced to three years on appeal -- is reported to have begun a new hunger strike on November 30th, his second since being arrested...

Posted: Sat - December 6, 2003 at 01:36 PM        

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