Omar Radi

Omar Radi (Arabic: عمر الراضي‎) is a Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist. He worked in Atlantic Radio, Media 24, TelQuel[1] and Le Desk focusing on investigations[2] about human rights, corruption and social movements.[3] He was detained in Casablanca on 26 December 2019 for insulting a judge in a tweet six months prior.[4]

Omar Radi
عمر الراضي
Born (1986-07-18) 18 July 1986
Kenitra, Morocco
GenreJournalism

Career

Radi has worked on anti-competition practices by Mounir Majidi;[5] corruption among politicians and members of parliament;[6] budgetary problems in the urgent education program;[7] a 2018 documentary about the Hirak Rif Movement;[8] and coverage of social movements in Sidi Ifni, Imidir and Rif.[9]

2019 Arrest

On 26 December 2019, Omar Radi was summoned to the local police station in Casablanca where he was arrested.[10] The official reason given for his arrest was that—in April of 2019, more than 6 months before his arrest—Radi tweeted critically of a Casablanca magistrate for delivering 20-years jail sentence of 42 activists, including Nasser Zefzafi, from the Hirak Rif Movement.[11] In an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, Radi stated that he believed he was arrested because he was at a journalism awards ceremony in Algeria 3 days prior to his incarceration, speaking to the public about the Moroccan political economy and what he described as "economic predation" in Morocco and a "state capture model of economy."[12]

The National union for journalists asked for his release.[13] The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) condemned the arrest.[14] Human Rights Watch asked the authorities for his release and praised his quality journalism.[15] On 29 September 2019, protests took place in front of the parliament.[16]

On 31 December 2019, he was released on bail[17][18] following a national and international campaign in his support, two days before his judgement, due on 2 January 2020. The judgement was then postponed to 5 March 2020.[19]

Phone hacking

On June 21, Amnesty International released a report stating it found evidence that Omar Radi's personal cellphone had been infected with the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli technology firm NSO Group.[20][21] The program can covertly access a phone’s camera, microphone, text messages, emails, applications, and location.[22] As NSO Group publicly states that it sells its software exclusively to governments, Amnesty International concluded in its report that the surveillance was conducted by Moroccan authorities.[22] Israel classifies this technology as a weapon and its approval is required for any exports.[22][23]

See also

References
  1. "Qui est Omar Radi, le journaliste et militant incarcéré pour un tweet ?". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  2. "Au Maroc, Omar Radi, nouveau journaliste dans le viseur des autorités – Libération". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. "Omar Radi | Middle East Eye". 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  4. Press, The Associated (27 December 2019). "Moroccan YouTuber Sentenced to Prison, Journalist Detained". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. "اعتقال عمر الراضي أحد مفجري فضيحة أراضي خدام الدولة واختلاس البرنامج الاستعجالي للتعليم – ألف بوست". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. "بروفيل- محاكمة الصحافي عمر الراضي.. من اختراق مربع "خدام الدولة" إلى "الموت ولا المذلة" – اليوم 24". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  7. "جطو يُعري البرنــامج الاستعجـالــــي لأحمد اخشيشن – اليوم 24". 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. "بروفيل- محاكمة الصحافي عمر الراضي.. من اختراق مربع "خدام الدولة" إلى "الموت ولا المذلة" – اليوم 24". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  9. "متضامنون مع عمر – Le Desk". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  10. Lesire-Ogrel, Benjamin; Stangler, Cole (17 November 2017). "The Revolutionary Potential of Journalism in Morocco". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  11. "Au Maroc, le journaliste Omar Radi placé en détention pour un tweet critiquant la justice". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  12. "Meet Omar Radi, the Moroccan Journalist Who Was Jailed for a Single Tweet & Faces Trial on March 5". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  13. "Au Maroc, le journaliste Omar Radi placé en détention pour un tweet critiquant la justice". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  14. "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  15. "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  16. "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  17. Kasraoui, Safaa (31 December 2019). "Moroccan Journalist Omar Radi Leaves Prison on Provisional Release". Morocco World News. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  18. "عمر الراضي لـ"لكم": إطلاق سراحي رجوع للصواب ومحاكمتي ستكون مقبولة اذا ما توفرت لها شروط المحاكمة العادلة". لكم-lakome2 (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  19. "تأجيل محاكمة عمر الراضي إلى مارس المقبل" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  20. "« C'est David contre Goliath » : comment l'iPhone du journaliste marocain Omar Radi a été espionné". Le Monde.fr (in French). 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  21. "Moroccan Journalist Targeted With Network Injection Attacks Using NSO Group's Tools". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  22. Priest, Dana (21 June 2020). "Spyware technology found on phone of Moroccan journalist, report says". The Washington Post.
  23. "Israeli spyware used to target Moroccan journalist, Amnesty claims". the Guardian. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
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