Press freedom continues to improve in Morocco, Reporters Sans Frontieres

Reporters Sans Frontieres underlines in its 2000 annual report --under embargo till April 27-- that the freedom of the press that was marked by some improvements over the last years of the reign of the late King Hassan II is being carried on the same trend under the reign of King Mohammed VI.

For the organization, the improvement of the freedom of the press scored during the last years of the late sovereign --who passed away last July 23-- seems to be carried on after the enthronement of King Mohammed VI, the process for the respect of human rights and mainly the freedom of the press being continued.

The report says that the independent press had succeeded, under the reign of King Hassan II, to get rid of the pressures of the power which used to constrain journalists to self-censorship.

The report mentions the appointment of new managers at the head of the Moroccan news agency, MAP, and the first public radio and TV channel RTM, deeming these appointments as a sign of flexibility of the power's domination on the public media that were previously used as "propaganda and censorship implements."

The report also mentions the few cases of censorship that occurred in 1999.