Moroccan lawmakers voted unanimously on Monday to review ties with the European Parliament, accusing it of meddling following a resolution urging the kingdom to respect press freedom.
In response to the non-binding European text adopted on Thursday, members of Morocco’s parliament met in Rabat for a joint session.
Moroccan legislators called the European resolution “an unacceptable attack on the sovereignty, dignity, and independence of the kingdom’s judicial institutions” in a statement issued following their session.
It had “seriously harmed the fundamental trust” between them, they claimed.
As a result, Morocco’s Parliament “decided to reconsider its relations with the European Parliament and submit them for an overall evaluation,” according to House of Representatives Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami. He didn’t go into any further detail.
Morocco and the European Union have had close economic and commercial relations since 1996, particularly in agriculture and fishing.
“Their decisions will not intimidate us, and we will not change our path and approach,” said Mohammed Ghiat, president of Morocco’s ruling coalition’s largest party, the National Rally of Independents.
European lawmakers in Strasbourg had urged Morocco to “respect freedom of expression and media freedom” and to “guarantee imprisoned journalists… a fair trial”.
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) watchdog welcomed the EU parliament vote as a break from “25 years of passivity”.
Morocco’s former colonial power, France, was seen by some lawmakers as pushing the European measure.
“Behind the scenes of this decision is a country that we had thought of as a friend and a solid partner, but the smell of gas has caused it to lose it,” Ahmed Touizi of the Authenticity and Modernity Party said.
Touizi, whose party is part of the majority coalition, was referring to improving relations between Paris and Algeria, Morocco’s neighbor and rival — as well as a major gas exporter to European nations.
“Morocco has had enough of double standards,” Istiqlal Party member Abdelmajid Fassi Fihri told AFP. He regretted that the European Parliament had not condemned Algerian attacks on press freedom.
Journalists jailed
Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, two prominent Moroccan journalists, were both sentenced at appeal last year on sexual abuse charges.
Radi, 36, a vocal critic of Moroccan authorities, was sentenced to six years in prison for rape and espionage, both of which he denies.
Raissouni is currently serving a five-year prison sentence. He, too, has always maintained his innocence, and says he was prosecuted “because of his opinions”.
Moroccan authorities insist on the independence of the judiciary and that the cases against journalists have nothing to do with journalism.
Last week, European parliamentarians expressed “deep concern” about allegations that Moroccan authorities bribed its members, and reaffirmed the European Parliament’s commitment to “fully investigate” corruption.
The MEP corruption scandal that erupted last month sent shockwaves through EU circles in Brussels, with MEPs accused of accepting bribes from both Qatar and Morocco.
Both countries strongly deny the allegations.
Following the European resolution, an “authorized source” at the foreign ministry in Rabat, quoted by a media outlet close to the government, said the EU measure would have “no impact on Morocco”.
According to the source, it “fits with the kingdom’s sustained aggressions and harassments from those disturbed by Morocco’s development, prosperity, and strong role in the region.”
