Lakome.com was an independent Moroccan news website. It was started in 2010 and banned in 2013.

History and profile

Lakome.com was founded in December 2010 by

Ali Anouzla Ali Anouzla ( ar, علي أنوزلا; born in Agadir, Morocco) is a Moroccan journalist, known for his critical articles of King Mohammed VI's rule. Since December 2010 he has been the editor-in-chief of the online media platform Lakome, which ...

, later joined by Aboubakr Jamaï. The site had articles in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and in French. Ali Anouzla was also the editor of the English edition of the website. Aboubakr Jamaï was the editor of the French edition. A laureate of the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...

' International Press Freedom Award and the

World Association of Newspapers The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations, and many individual newspaper ex ...

' Gebran Tueni Prize, Jamaï had previously started two newspapers in Morocco, ''

Le Journal Hebdomadaire ''Le Journal Hebdomadaire'' (French for ''The Weekly Journal''; often shortened to ''Le Journal Hebdo'') was a French-language, Moroccan weekly magazine, published between 1997 and 2010.Sylvain MouillardAu Maroc, le «Journal hebdomadaire» je ...

'' and '' Assahifa al-Ousbouiya''. His papers were banned by the

government of Morocco The Cabinet of Morocco is the chief executive body of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Cabinet is usually composed of some 25 ministers and 5 to 10 "Secretaries of State" and "Minister Delegates". It is headed by the Prime Minister (officially ''Head o ...

on multiple occasions for their explorations of politically taboo topics, and Jamaï soon won an international reputation for independent reporting. After a series of ruinous libel suits and alleged government pressure on advertisers, however, the papers went bankrupt, with ''Le Journal'' shut down by court order in 2010. When the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...

-inspired

2011 protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *' ...

broke out in Morocco, however, Jamaï began an web-based news service, Lakome.com. The site had a small staff and focuses on reporting political events throughout Morocco. By April 2011, it was the fourth-most-visited website in Morocco. On 17 October 2013, both the Arabic and French version of the site were closed down in Morocco. As of May 2014, the website remained blocked.

References

External links

Official site
(Arabic) {{Human rights in Morocco 2010 establishments in Morocco 2013 disestablishments in Morocco Moroccan news websites Internet properties established in 2010 Internet properties disestablished in 2013 Arabic-language websites French-language websites Censorship in Morocco