Morocco: Economist arrested during Macron's visit

A Moroccan economist known for his human rights work has been detained after criticizing the government in remarks posted on social media during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the North African kingdom.

Prosecutors arrested Fouad Abdelmoumni in Casablanca on Wednesday and announced that he was being investigated on suspicion of spreading false information and accusing others of crimes on social media, Morocco's state news agency reported. If charged and convicted, he faces up to five years in prison under cybercrime laws.

"This arbitrary arrest is part of a series of harassments targeting Abdelmoumni, as a reprisal for his bold positions, his opinions and the defence of human rights," the Moroccan Association for the Support of Political Prisoners said in a statement published on Wednesday. "This arrest represents a new escalation in the authorities' policy of repression against political and human rights activists in the country."

Mr. Abdelmoumni, a former political prisoner, is the coordinator of the association.

As Mr Macron visited Rabat with Moroccan leaders including King Mohammed VI, the activist claimed in a post that Morocco was trying to "blackmail" France using methods such as spying and refusing to cooperate in managing illegal immigration.

Abdelmoumni has not yet been formally charged. When he appears in court on Friday, he will likely be charged with crimes related to the article, said one of his lawyers, Souad Brahma.

In Morocco, authorities can detain people under investigation for 48 hours without charging them.

Ms. Brahma said Mr. Abdelmoumni was arrested for expressing his opinion and called his detention a violation of his right to freedom of expression. She said she was denied the opportunity to visit him on Thursday, despite having received permission from the court. The authorities have not responded to allegations that the arrest was politically motivated.

Throughout his visit, Mr. Macron spoke of opening a new chapter in relations between France and Morocco, after years of tensions.

Amnesty International and the Paris-based nonprofit group Forbidden Stories published a report alleging that Moroccan authorities used Israeli software Pegagus to infiltrate the electronic devices of human rights activists, including Mr. Abdelmoumni, and politicians, including Mr. Macron.

Morocco has vigorously denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit.

Mr. Abdelmoumni, 66, has been a prominent human rights advocate since his arrest and torture along with other left-wing activists during King Hassan II ’s era of repression, known as the “Years of Lead .” He has publicly supported pro-democracy efforts in the country, including during the Arab Spring and the “Hirak” movement. Morocco’s 2017

After the Pegagus software investigation, Abdelmoumni was among the activists profiled in a Human Rights Watch report 2022

The report states that an anonymous person released a video of him and his partner (now his wife) having sex, likely captured by a hidden camera inside the air conditioner in his home. In Morocco, sex outside marriage is a crime, and information about their relationship was later published in pro-government media, in an operation that Mr. Abdelmoumni said was aimed at intimidating him.

This week, he took part in a vigil demanding justice for a Moroccan nationalist who disappeared in France in 1965 and appeared at the court where Morocco's former human rights minister was being tried. He was on his way to a meeting of the Moroccan Association for the Support of Political Prisoners when he was arrested.

Mr Macron’s political party helped push through a resolution in 2023 condemning human rights abuses in Morocco in the European Parliament. However, the two countries have recently strengthened their political and economic ties. This week, they announced economic deals and lucrative contracts on projects ranging from transport to desalination infrastructure. Mr Macron also reiterated his support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. .

During his three-day visit, Mr Macron did not mention human rights in speeches he gave at a business forum, to the country's French community or to the country's parliament.