Interview with Moroccan blogger Mohammed Erraji

16/09/2008

Moroccan blogger Mohammed Erraji provides his response to the judicial charges made against him and his take on freedom of expression in Morocco.

Interview by Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 16/09/08

[Naoufel Cherkaoui] Moroccan blogger Mohammed Erraji speaks to Magharebia about his recent arrest, prison conditions and the state of the freedom of expression in Morocco.

One day after publishing an article critical of the special favours the King sometimes accords his citizens, Moroccan blogger Mohammed Erraji was arrested on Friday (September 5th) and swiftly sentenced to two years in prison. The first Moroccan blogger to be jailed for his writings, Erraji was released on bail less than a week later after an appellate court found that the first instance court had made mistakes in his trial. Magharebia caught up with Erraji to discuss the recent events and how they relate to the larger issue of press freedom in Morocco.

Magharebia: How did you get the provisional release?

Mohammed Erraji: I submitted a request for provisional release to the prison ward Friday morning and at noon the same day I was referred to the presiding judge of the first instance court, who told me that my request was accepted, and that the next hearing was scheduled for September 16th. After that, I was released pending the next hearing.

Magharebia: How were the investigations conducted with you?

Erraji: A group of intelligence officers came to my home on Wednesday, but I wasn't there at the time. They told my family members that I should drop by to see them. I went on Thursday, at 10:00 AM, to the headquarters of the scientific research unit and I didn't leave there until 5:00 PM. The investigation with me was carried out by the officers of that unit under good conditions and with respect. I was asked to come back the following day.

When I returned Friday morning, the investigation was completed by the same unit for about three hours. After that, I was brought to the Judicial Police, where its staff conducted, in their own turn, investigations with me for almost five hours about my political and intellectual affiliations. I was kept in custody, and my suffering started because the cell I was locked up at was in terrible condition. Investigations continued on Saturday and Sunday.

I was then escorted by policemen to my house Sunday morning, where they searched my room, especially my books and my computer. After that, they returned me to the police station, where I signed the police citations that they had prepared. Afterwards, I was handcuffed and referred to the king's vice attorney at the court of first instance, who started to ask me about the motive behind my writing of certain sentences in the article in question. The inquiry didn't last more than four minutes. After waiting more than an hour, a police officer came and told me that I had been sentenced to two years in prison. Afterwards, I was taken to jail.

They brought me back Monday morning to the court of first instance to attend the court hearing, which didn't last for more than four minutes. The presiding judge just asked me about my position regarding the charge against me, i.e. breach of the respect due to the King. I denied that I had any intentions whatsoever to offend the King. When he asked about my intention to name a lawyer to defend me, I told him that I lacked the financial resources to do that.

Magharebia: Your articles are characterised by severe criticism of the social and economic conditions in Morocco. What is the motive behind that?

Erraji: The motive is my enthusiasm for this country, because I wish for my country to make progress and reach a certain level of democracy and respect for human rights, in order not to allow this to remain mere ink on paper. Although I resort to sarcasm and severity in writing my articles, I never had the intention to offend anyone, neither the King nor anybody else.

Magharebia: Will you take the situation you are in now into consideration in your future writings?

Erraji: I haven't yet made a decision whether to continue writing or not. The days I spent in prison made me fear even carrying the pen, which, to me, now means signing a new prison sentence. Therefore, I will think carefully before I make a decision whether or not to continue writing.

Magharebia: You have not issued any apologies up till now. Does it mean that you consider yourself not guilty?

Erraji: Even now, I can't believe what's happening to me in terms of judicial pursuit and imprisonment. I don't think I'm offending anyone, including the King, in my articles. I was very surprised when I was summoned for investigation. If I become certain in the future that I have offended the King or anybody else, I will be willing to offer my apology. But now, I think I have not done anyone any injustice.

Magharebia: Aren't you seeking a royal pardon like the case of Mourtada?

Erraji: I was waiting for a royal pardon during the days I spent in prison on the occasion of Ramadan or Eid El Fitr because the psychological condition I was suffering during those days was very terrible and unbearable.

Magharebia: In your opinion, what is the reality of the freedom of expression in Morocco?

Erraji: I think there are certain entities that don't want freedom of expression to progress. It makes me sad to see my own country, which I would like to see taking quicker strides ahead, live in this retreat in terms of democracy. I want my country to embrace the doctrine of democracy once and for all. In addition, we should not continue to think that freedom of expression poses dangers to the country or the royal establishment.

I reject the principle of leaving Morocco to start criticising its conditions from overseas. I prefer to live inside my country. I also absolutely reject receiving external financial assistance to do so. The presence of freedom of expression in a certain country indicates that the country respects the rules of democracy. If the condition in Morocco in terms of crackdowns on the freedom of expression continues, this will mean that there are certain issues that the state wants to hide; something that will make the citizen doubt the very existence of democracy. I think the only solution to work towards the progress of Morocco is to expand the scope of respect for freedom of expression.

Magharebia: What were you thinking about during your days of detention?

Erraji: The only thing I was thinking about is freedom. I was distracted throughout my days of detention, and I wasn't even talking to other prisoners who were with me. My mind was tense thinking about freedom. I can say now that if my detention had continued for more days, I would have lost my mind because of the unbearable conditions of arrest. The thing that weighed heavily on me was the charge against me. I respect the King, and I consider the monarchy to be the guarantor of Morocco's stability. I was thinking about one question only: how can I spend two years of my life in prison? Even now, I haven't recovered from the shock of hearing the sentence against me. I hope that the court will issue a ruling for my acquittal.