Rachid Niny (born 16 October 1970 in Ben Slimane,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

), is a Moroccan journalist, chronicler and editor, and the director of '' Al Massae'', which as of 2012 was Morocco's most popular daily newspaper. He was imprisoned from 28 April 2011 to 28 April 2012, allegedly for "undermining a judicial decision", "attempting to influence the judiciary", and "reporting on untrue criminal offences", leading

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

to designate him a prisoner of conscience.

Studies and career

After receiving his high school diploma in modern literature, Rachid Niny entered The University of Literature and Human Sciences in

Mohammedia Mohammedia ( ar, المحمدية, al-muḥammadiyya; ber, ⴼⴹⴰⵍⴰ, Fḍala), known until 1960 as Fedala, is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most imp ...

(

) to specialize in Arabic Literature. When he received his bachelor's degree in 1994, he found himself unemployed. “El Alam”, a daily Arabic Newspaper affiliated to The “Istiqlal party” with which he had collaborated since he was a student, refused to hire him unless he joined the party. He led the local section of qualified unemployed persons' association. In 1992, he collaborated with the “Al Alam” Newspaper, and then he launched a newspaper in the Amazigh Language called ''Awal'' (Words) which stopped after the third number. In 1997, he obtained an accreditation to cover the worldwide Amazigh Congress in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. This enabled him to leave Europe. During three years as an illegal immigrant in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, he tried various odds jobs. From this experience, he was inspired to write his book ''The Diary of a Clandestine''. Returning to Morocco, he worked with the Second Moroccan Channel ( 2M) as TV-program presenter of « Nostaljia ». In 2000, he participated in the ''Assabah'' newspaper with his daily chronicle Chouf tchouf. Then he decided to create his own newspaper ''Al Massae'' in 2006 where he continues his chronicle with the same free critical tone.

Incarceration

In the afternoon of Thursday, 28 April 2011, Rachid Niny was placed under arrest by the Moroccan Police after being accused of an "offence against national and citizens security" by Abd-Allah al-Balghîtî, the general prosecutor of the King at Casablanca. His lawyer Khalid Soufyâni called the arrest a political decision which aimed to silence an opponent of official corruption. On 9 June 2011, the Court of First Instance in Ain S’ba’ in Casablanca sentenced Niny to one year in prison for "undermining a judicial decision", "attempting to influence the judiciary", and "reporting on untrue criminal offences".

protested Niny's incarceration, declaring him a prisoner of conscience and demanding his immediate release. On 19 January 2012, he was awarded an

Oxfam Novib/PEN Award Oxfam Novib/PEN Award for Freedom of Expression is a literary award made in collaboration with PEN International Writers in Prison Committee, the PEN Emergency Fund, and Oxfam Novib (the Dutch affiliate of the international Oxfam organization). ...

in recognition of "writers who have been persecuted for their work and continue working despite the consequences". Niny was freed following the completion of his sentence on 28 April 2012. On the day of his release, he spoke to reporters about the need for press freedom in Morocco, stating, "I hope that I will be the last journalist to be imprisoned and tried under the criminal law."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niny, Rachid 1970 births Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Morocco Living people Moroccan male journalists People from Ben Slimane Moroccan editors Moroccan writers Moroccan expatriates in Spain Imprisoned journalists Oxfam Novib/PEN Award winners Moroccan prisoners and detainees

Studies and career

Incarceration

See also

References