Royal amnesty to enable two banned journalists resume activities

Moroccan journalists, Mustapha Alaoui and Khalid Mechbal, are free to resume their activities due to a royal amnesty of a court sentence that banned them from practicing journalism activities, a reliable source said Sunday. Alaoui, manager of "Al Ousboue" weekly and Mechbal, editor-in-chief of "Achamal" weekly, were condemned last April in a libel case filed by Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa to stop all journalism activity, respectively for 3 years and one year. Alaoui was also sentenced to a 3 month-prison sentence and Mechbal to a suspended 6-month prison term, in addition to fines and compensation to the plaintiff.