Moroccan authorities have arrested a human rights activist who accused the government of ‘blackmailing’ France

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan economist known for his work defending human rights has been arrested after criticizing the government in comments 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 under investigation on suspicion of spreading false information and accusing others of crimes on social media, the Moroccan state news agency reported. If charged and convicted, he could face up to five years in prison under cybercrime laws.

“This arbitrary arrest is part of a series of intimidations against Abdelmoumni, as a measure aimed at reprisals against his bold positions in expressing his opinions and defending human rights,” the Moroccan Association for the Support of Political Prisoners said in a statement on Wednesday declaration. “This arrest represents a further escalation in the authorities’ policy of repression against human rights and political activists in the country.”

Abdelmoumni, a former political prisoner, is the group’s coordinator.

While Macron toured Rabat with Moroccan leaders, including King Mohammed VIthe activist claimed in a post that Morocco was trying to “blackmail” France using methods such as espionage and withholding cooperation in the management of illegal immigration.

Abdelmoumni has yet to be officially charged. When he appears in court on Friday, he will likely be charged with crimes related to his position, said one of his lawyers, Souad Brahma.

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

Brahma said Abdelmoumni was arrested for expressing his views 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 court permission. Officials have not responded to allegations that the arrest was politically motivated.

During his visit, Macron referred to the opening of a new chapter in relations between France and Morocco after years of tension.

The causes of friction included the 2021 “Pegasus Affair,” in which Amnesty International and the Paris-based non-profit organization Forbidden Stories published a report to claim that Moroccan authorities had used the Israeli software Pegagus to infiltrate the electronic devices of human rights activists, including Abdelmoumni and politicians, up to Macron.

Morocco strongly denied the allegations and sued for defamation.

Abdelmoumni, 66, has played a prominent role in defending human rights since he was jailed and tortured 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 in Morocco in 2017.

Following the Pegagus software investigation, Abdelmoumni was among activists profiled in a 2022 Human Rights Watch report on Morocco’s attacks on critics.

According to the report, an anonymous person distributed a video of him and his then-partner-now-wife having sex, likely recorded on a hidden camera in his home’s air conditioner. In Morocco, sex outside marriage is a crime and information about their relationship later appeared in pro-government media as part of an effort 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, appearing at the courthouse where Morocco’s ex-human rights minister was on trial. He was on his way to a meeting of the Moroccan Association for the Support of Political Prisoners when he was arrested.

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

During his three-day visit, Macron made no mention of human rights in speeches at a business forum, before the country’s French community or in the country’s parliament.