Ali Lmrabet praises judicial police treatment, denounces airport detention

Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, who resides in Spain and was recently detained following complaints filed against him, said Wednesday that he was treated well by Morocco’s National Judicial Police Brigade in Casablanca and by prosecutors, while criticizing the circumstances of his arrest at Tangier Ibn Battouta International Airport.

Speaking to reporters outside the Ain Sebaa misdemeanor court in Casablanca after his release, Lmrabet alleged that the security officers who arrested him at the airport refused to identify themselves.

“They twisted my arm,” he said.

Lmrabet added that the treatment he received changed after his transfer to the headquarters of the National Judicial Police Brigade in Casablanca.

“From the moment I arrived at the National Brigade, things changed. A doctor was brought to examine me,” he said.

The journalist also said that several people whose identities he declined to reveal were surprised by the complaints filed against him and questioned why authorities had opted to pursue the case under criminal law rather than Morocco’s press and publishing code.

Lmrabet stressed that, during questioning, he requested the presence of lawyers in accordance with the law. He said he was informed that none could attend because of an ongoing strike by members of the legal profession.

Asked when he would next appear before prosecutors, Lmrabet said authorities told him he was free to leave and that they would contact him at a later date.

“I will comply and appear when summoned. I will not run away,” he said, adding that he had not returned to Morocco since his father’s death.

Earlier Wednesday, the prosecutor at Casablanca’s Ain Sebaa misdemeanor court announced that Lmrabet had been released after authorities reviewed the case file, completed initial investigations and ordered further technical examinations.

In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said Lmrabet had been questioned about the allegations against him in accordance with legal procedures and had been granted all protections and rights guaranteed by law, including a medical examination.

The statement added that prosecutors decided to continue the investigation and conduct additional technical analyses while releasing Lamrabet and returning items seized during his arrest, including two computers, a storage device and a mobile phone.