US concerned after Moroccan court upholds journalist’s sentence
The State Department said it was "concerned with the judicial process" that led to Omar Radi's six-year sentence.
The Biden administration has voiced concern over a Moroccan court’s decision to uphold a six-year prison sentence for journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi.
“We are concerned with the judicial process that led to his sentencing and note that Mr. Radi has alleged violations of fair trial guarantees,” a State Department spokesperson told Al-Monitor.
The court’s decision on Thursday comes some six months after US and Moroccan officials met in Washington to discuss human rights, during which “State Department officials emphasized the importance of respecting fair trial guarantees — for victims as well as the accused,” the spokesperson said.
The latest: Radi, 35, is one of the founders of independent Moroccan news outlet Le Desk and has written extensively about government corruption. In July, he was convicted of sexual assault and espionage.
