Two jailed Moroccan journalists, in good health, says minister
Morocco, Politics, 12/26/2003

The two jailed Moroccan journalists are in good health and enjoy all the rights guaranteed by the law, insisted on Wednesday night, the Moroccan minister of Justice.

Mohamed Bouzoubaa who was interviewed during the live program "Fil Wajiha"(On the frontline) aired by the second Moroccan TV channel "2M," was answering a question on the alleged deterioration of the physical and mental health condition of Moroccan journalist Ali Lambrabet, editor of two banned news magazines, who reportedly started another hunger strike just five months after he agreed to end a fifty-day fast.

According to reports, he was joined in his protest against detention conditions, by fellow-inmate Mohammed el-Hourd, managing editor of the weekly Asharq, published in Oujda (Eastern Morocco).

Editor of Demain Magazine and Douman, Lambrabet was sentenced to four years in jail on 21 May for "insulting the person of the king," "offence against territorial integrity" and "offence against the monarchy."

His sentence was reduced on appeal to three years imprisonment on 17 June.

The other journalist in jail is Mohammed el-Hourd, sentenced in June to two years of imprisonment for publishing comments by an Islamist activist.

The Moroccan minister said one of the two jailed journalists whom he did not name, is even treated better that the other detainees in the Prison of Sale (Rabat Twin city) as he has a TV set, a radio and receives newspapers and visits from his parents.

"I have received a letter from one of the two journalists in which he denies having started a hunger strike, affirms that detention conditions are normal, and denies that his colleague has been subject to violence," in prison, said the Moroccan minister who did not name this journalist but who, according to observers, is Lamrabet's fellow-inmate Mohammed el-Hourd.

The Justice minister, himself a lawyer, described as "unfortunate" the case of these two journalists.

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