Omar Radi

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Omar Radi
عمر الراضي
Born (1986-07-18) 18 July 1986 (age 37)
Kenitra, Morocco
GenreJournalism

Omar Radi (Arabic: عمر الراضي) is a Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist. He has worked at Lakome, Atlantic Radio, Media 24, TelQuel and Le Desk and volunteered for the citizen media Mamfakinch,[1][2][3] focusing on investigations about human rights, corruption and social movements.[4][5][6] He was detained in Casablanca on 26 December 2019 for criticizing a judge in a tweet posted six months earlier.[7] His arrest triggered a movement of solidarity among his sympathizers.[8] He was handed a suspended four-month prison sentence, a verdict criticized by some NGOs and human rights groups.[9][10]

Career[edit]

Radi has worked on anti-competition practices by Mounir Majidi;[11] corruption among politicians and members of parliament;[12] budgetary problems in the urgent education program;[13] a 2018 documentary about the Hirak Rif Movement;[12] and coverage of social movements in Sidi Ifni, Imidir and Rif.[14]

2019 Arrest[edit]

On 26 December 2019, Omar Radi was summoned to the local police station in Casablanca where he was arrested.[15] The official reason given for his arrest was that—in April 2019, more than 6 months before his arrest—Radi tweeted critically of a Casablanca magistrate for delivering 20-years jail sentence of 42 activists, including Nasser Zefzafi, from the Hirak Rif Movement.[16] In an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, Radi stated that he believed he was arrested because he was at a journalism awards ceremony in Algeria 3 days prior to his incarceration, speaking to the public about the Moroccan political economy and what he described as "economic predation" in Morocco and a "state capture model of economy."[17]

The National union for journalists asked for his release.[16] The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) condemned the arrest.[18] Human Rights Watch asked the authorities for his release and praised his quality journalism.[18] On 29 September 2019, protests took place in front of the parliament.[18] Protesters took the streets calling for his release in the Moroccan cities of Casablanca, Rabat, and Agadir but also abroad in Paris and Brussels.[19]

On 31 December 2019, Moroccan authorities released him on bail[20][21] following a campaign in his support, two days before his judgement, due on 2 January 2020. The judgement was then postponed to 5 March 2020.[22]

2020 Cellphone Surveillance[edit]

In June 2020, Amnesty International reported it had found evidence that Omar Radi's personal cellphone had been infected with the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli technology firm NSO Group.[23][24] The program can covertly access a phone’s camera, microphone, text messages, emails, applications, and location.[25] As NSO Group publicly states that it sells its software exclusively to governments, Amnesty International concluded in its report that the surveillance was conducted by Moroccan authorities.[25] Israel classifies this technology as a weapon and its approval is required for any exports.[25][26]

Moroccan authorities challenged what they called these "serious and tendentious charges" by Amnesty International.[27][28] The human rights group said its reporting provided the necessary proof, arguing in a 4 July statement that "the technology used to spy on Omar Radi's phone required the control over telephone operators, which only the government could exert in order to hack the Internet connection."[28] The Moroccan authorities maintain that what Amnesty provided does not constitute "convincing scientific evidence."[28]

2020 Arrest and Imprisonment[edit]

On 25 June and 2 July, authorities summoned Radi to appear before the National Judicial Police Brigade (الفرقة الوطنية للشرطة القضائية, BNPJ) for questioning.[29] On 2 July, the Moroccan website Le 360 accused Omar Radi of being a "British intelligence agent."[30][31] The French newspaper le Monde reported that the Moroccan justice system suspects him of receiving "financial support from abroad" and having "links with a liaison officer from a foreign country" who has allegedly been "under diplomatic cover since 1979 in several regions of tension" throughout the world.[28] Omar Radi categorically denies these accusations.[28]

On the night of 5 July, police arrested Radi and his colleague at Le Desk, Imad Stitou, were taken into police custody after an altercation with a cameraman from Chouf TV, a sensationalist Moroccan media agency, who—according to Le Desk—had been following Radi since 25 June and had come to harass them.[29][32][33][34] According to a spokesperson for the General Directorate for National Security, Radi was taken into custody for "public drunkenness and violence."[28] Both journalists were detained overnight and released on 6 June, pending an investigation into allegations of "public intoxication, violence, insult, and filming without permission," according to court documents.[34]

Police again detained Radi 29 July "on espionage and other charges that seem backed by scant evidence," the U.S.-based human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported. It reported Radi was being held at the Oukacha prison in Casablanca. [35] The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the Europe-based Bertha Foundation, a human rights group, reported that Radi’s arrest interrupted an investigation he was conducting, with funding from Bertha, on corrupt land expropriations in Morocco.[36] Moroccan authorities held a 15-minute hearing on Radi’s case on December 24, 2020, and he remained imprisoned thereafter. [37]

In March 2022, Omar Radi was sentenced on appeal to six years in prison in a double case of espionage and rape. The sentence is accompanied by compensation of 200,000 dirhams in favor of the civil party.[38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Iddins, Annemarie (13 September 2018). "Mamfakinch: From Protest Slogan to Mediated Activism". International Journal of Communication. 12: 20. ISSN 1932-8036.
  2. ^ "Urgent Appeal: Civil society groups call for Moroccan authorities to cease intimidation of journalist Omar Radi | MENA Rights Group". www.menarights.org. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Qui est Omar Radi, le journaliste et militant incarcéré pour un tweet ?". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Qui est Omar Radi, le journaliste et militant incarcéré pour un tweet ?". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Au Maroc, Omar Radi, nouveau journaliste dans le viseur des autorités – Libération". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Omar Radi | Middle East Eye". 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Moroccan YouTuber Sentenced to Prison, Journalist Detained". The New York Times. Associated Press. 27 December 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Moroccans rally in defence of journalist Omar Radi, jailed over a tweet". France 24. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  9. ^ Yabiladi.com. "To Amnesty International, Omar Radi "should never have been put on trial"". en.yabiladi.com. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Morocco sentences activist for criticizing judge". Reuters. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  11. ^ "اعتقال عمر الراضي أحد مفجري فضيحة أراضي خدام الدولة واختلاس البرنامج الاستعجالي للتعليم – ألف بوست". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  12. ^ a b "بروفيل- محاكمة الصحافي عمر الراضي.. من اختراق مربع "خدام الدولة" إلى "الموت ولا المذلة" – اليوم 24". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  13. ^ "جطو يُعري البرنــامج الاستعجـالــــي لأحمد اخشيشن – اليوم 24". 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  14. ^ "متضامنون مع عمر – Le Desk". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  15. ^ Lesire-Ogrel, Benjamin; Stangler, Cole (17 November 2017). "The Revolutionary Potential of Journalism in Morocco". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Au Maroc, le journaliste Omar Radi placé en détention pour un tweet critiquant la justice". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Meet Omar Radi, the Moroccan Journalist Who Was Jailed for a Single Tweet & Faces Trial on March 5". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  18. ^ a b c "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  19. ^ "To Amnesty International, Omar Radi «should never have been put on trial»".
  20. ^ Kasraoui, Safaa (31 December 2019). "Moroccan Journalist Omar Radi Leaves Prison on Provisional Release". Morocco World News. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  21. ^ "عمر الراضي لـ"لكم": إطلاق سراحي رجوع للصواب ومحاكمتي ستكون مقبولة اذا ما توفرت لها شروط المحاكمة العادلة". لكم-lakome2 (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  22. ^ "تأجيل محاكمة عمر الراضي إلى مارس المقبل" (in Arabic). 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  23. ^ "" C'est David contre Goliath " : comment l'iPhone du journaliste marocain Omar Radi a été espionné". Le Monde.fr (in French). 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Moroccan Journalist Targeted With Network Injection Attacks Using NSO Group's Tools". www.amnesty.org. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  25. ^ a b c Priest, Dana (21 June 2020). "Spyware technology found on phone of Moroccan journalist, report says". The Washington Post.
  26. ^ "Israeli spyware used to target Moroccan journalist, Amnesty claims". the Guardian. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  27. ^ "In Absence of Evidence, Morocco Questions Context of Latest Amnesty International Report, FM". Maroc.ma. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  28. ^ a b c d e f "Maroc : les journalistes Omar Radi et Imad Stitou interpellés". Le Monde.fr (in French). 6 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Harcelés par Chouf TV, Omar Radi et Imad Stitou ont été embarqués par la police". Le Desk. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  30. ^ "الصحافي عمر الراضي يجيب الحكومة: لم أكن أبدا في خدمة أي قوة أجنبية، ولن أكون ما دمت على قيد الحياة". Le Desk. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  31. ^ Le360 (2 July 2020). "Info360. Voici l'identité de l'agent secret, officier traitant de Omar Radi". Le360.ma (in French). Retrieved 6 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "Chouf TV". maroc.mom-rsf.org. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  33. ^ Kettioui, Abdelmjid (10 February 2020). "Sarcasm and Taboo in the Moroccan Mediascape after the February 20 Movement". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 33 (4): 405–423. doi:10.1080/13696815.2019.1701426. ISSN 1369-6815. S2CID 213269738.
  34. ^ a b "Journalists Omar Radi and Imad Stitou detained overnight in Morocco". Committee to Protect Journalists. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  35. ^ "Morocco: Espionage Case Against Outspoken Journalist". Human Rights Watch. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  36. ^ "Bertha Foundation: Omar Radi's arrest blocked Moroccan land rights exposé". Committee to Protect Journalists. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Moroccan journalist appears before judge on espionage charge". Associated Press. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  38. ^ "Maroc : le journaliste Omar Radi condamné en appel à six ans de prison". LeMonde Afrique (in French). 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
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