Reporters Sans Frontieres asks spanish government to clarify expulsion of Moroccan newsmen

The press freedom watchdog "Reporters sans Frontieres" (RSF) has asked the Spanish government to give clarifications on the expulsion last Saturday of four Moroccan newsmen who went to Seville to cover a European conference on support to the Polisario.

"We are worried that reporters had been prevented from doing their job and forced to quit the Spanish territory just in view of their nationality," RSF secretary general, Robert Menard, said in a letter to Spanish foreign minister and interior minister, Josep Pique and Mariano Rajoy.

"We ask you to justify the treatment that was inflicted on them," RSF Secretary general said.

Four Moroccan newsmen, namely Abdelaziz Battali from Le Matin du Sahara, Mohamed Bahi from Assahara, Khalil Abdelouahed from Assahifa and Hassan Aarab from Al-Hadath, were prevented from reporting on the 27th European conference of support to the polisario and were expelled, along with members of the Moroccan Sahara Association, from Spain, under the pretext that they were not accredited to cover the event.

The delegation members were first taken for questioning by Spanish security agents, were publicly searched down town Seville before they were firmly invited to immediately quit the Spanish territory.

The delegation members, flanked by security agents, were forced to go back to the port of Algesiras aboard their vehicles. All along the road from Seville to Algesiras, Spanish security agents relayed to escort them.

The Moroccan national press union (SNPM) denounced the behavior of Spanish authorities that expelled Saturday the Moroccan newsmen from the Spanish territory, terming this behavior contrary to the principle of the freedom of the press, which is guaranteed by international conventions and usage.