Morocco: Al-Watan al-An convictions undermine press code

In a conversation with Magharebia, al-Watan al-An Editor-in-Chief Abderrahim Ariri expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision of a Casablanca appeals court's on September, 18 to uphold convictions – although with reduced sentences – against him and journalist Moustapha Hormatallah. Rather than use the press code, the authorities brought criminal charges against the two journalists. A Casablanca appeals court handed Ariri a five-month suspended prison sentence and Moustapha Hormatallah a seven-month prison sentence on September, 18 for publishing classified government documents.