Soulaimane Raissouni ( ar, سليمان الريسوني) (born 5 June 1972) is a Moroccan journalist, editorialist, and human rights activist. He was working as the chief editor of the newspaper

Akhbar Al Yaoum Akhbar in Arabic () is the plural of ''khabar'' (), meaning ''news'' or, in Classical Arabic, ''reports'' about significant past events. The Arabic term occurs in the titles of many newspapers and other media, and may refer to: Journals Middle ...

, being notable for his editorials, criticizing government corruption and advocating political reform. On May 22, 2020, Raissouni was arrested over charges of “indecent assault” against another man. His arrest triggered a movement of solidarity among his sympathizers, both in Morocco and internationally, alleging that his case is part of a defamation campaign targeting journalists and rights activists critical of Moroccan authorities. After almost a year of imprisonment without a trial (being constantly postponed), Soulaimane Raissouni started on April 8, 2021, together with another detained journalist,

Omar Radi Omar Radi ( ar, عمر الراضي) is a Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist. He has worked at Lakome, Atlantic Radio, Media 24, '' TelQuel'' and '' Le Desk'' and volunteered for the citizen media Mamfakinch, focusi ...

, a hunger strike to press their demands to be freed. and obtain either "freedom, justice or death" Soulaimane Raissouni is the brother of

Ahmad al-Raysuni Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Raïssouni (, born 1953) is a Moroccan Islamic scholar and jurist. He served as president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) until his retirement in 2022. He was the former head of the (MUR), an organization c ...

, and the uncle of

Hajar Raissouni Hajar Raissouni (; born 1991) is an independent Moroccan journalist. In 2019, she was arrested and sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly having an illegal abortion and sex out of wedlock, though she was later pardoned by King Mohammed VI. ...

Arrest and Hunger Strike

On 22 May 2020, Soulaimane Raissouni was arrested after allegations published by a young man on Facebook, claiming that Raissouni committed indecent assault with violence and confinement against him in 2018. The identity of the young man is not known, and no proofs were presented together with the plaint. Since that date, the trial date has been constantly postponed, while Raissouni remained detained. This common practice, consisting of the increasing use of pre-trial detention is described by many Moroccan rights groups as a human rights violation. On 8 April 2021, Raissouni decided to start a hunger strike to protest this situation. Although his health status is deteriorating, the journalist refuses to halt the strike. Several journalists, friends, colleagues, family members, and human rights activists have called for the judiciary to consider his situation. On 24 May 2021 Mayssa Salama Ennaji, a Moroccan journalist, shared a photo of a traditional cloth used for burials in Islam, saying that Raissouni's wife bought it for him in case he dies due to this hunger strike.Morocco’s Prison Authority: Soulaiman Raissouni Health Status Is ‘Normal’ - Morocco World News (2021)
/ref> On 9 July 2021, Moroccan justice sentenced Soulaimane Raissouni to five years in prison for “sexual assault”.

References

{{Authority control Moroccan male journalists Moroccan writers Living people Imprisoned journalists Moroccan prisoners and detainees Moroccan activists 1972 births

Arrest and Hunger Strike

See also

References