Hassan Rachidi (photo, from maroc-hebdo.press.ma), Al Jazeera’s Rabat bureau chief has been fined by a Moroccan court $6 000, over coverage of protest last month.

The verdict came on Friday, after Mr Rachidi was charged with publishing false imformation, when the channel aired a report in which a human rights activist claimed that protesters in the south of the country had been killed by security forces.

The government has denied anyone being killed during the demonstrations over rising food prices in the port city of Sidi Ifni.

On Thursday, Ibrahim Sabelail was sentenced to six months’ jail and a fine 1,000 dirhams ($137). He is the Moroccan rights activist who initially told journalists about the alleged abuses in Sidi Ifni last month.

He was arrested on June 27, and for reporting deaths at Sidi Ifni and having described police intervention as a “crime against humanity”, he was charged with “insulting the authorities and reporting of fictitious crimes”.

Some Moroccan newspapers and other accredited international news organisations broadcast similar reports without a reaction from Moroccan authorities.

Press freedom

On Thursday, about 50 Arab and international human rights organisation appealed to the Moroccan judiciary, in order to postpone sentencing in Hassan Rashidi’s case pending the completion of a fact-finding mission ordered by parliament into the Sidi Ifni event.

In a statement, the organisations said it was imperative that “the judiciary should not be party to a sensitive issue related to gross violations of human rights”. They also warned against a hurried resolution to the case and the immediate impact that it would have on freedom of press in Morocco.

Arguing that the court did not allow Mr Rachidi to present all the arguments and evidence to defend himself during the trial, the National Association of Moroccan Press had earlier protested against his trial.

After the court refused to respond to a number of demands, including hearing defence witnesses involved in the events of Sidi Ifni, included security officials headed by the interior minister, Mr Rachidi’s lawyers withdrew from the case.

“What was done by the Moroccan authorities constitutes persecution of journalists and highlights the hostile attitued of the Moroccan government toward Al Jazeera and its employees in Morocco”, said Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based press freedom watchdog, calling on Morocco to restore Mr Rachidi’s suspended press accreditation.

By Ahmed El Amraoui in Rabat

The trial of Hassan Rachidi, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Morocco, has been adjourned, after the defence team walked out when their pleas were brushed aside by the presiding judge.

The marathon second court session opened, following a three-day recess, at the Rabat First Instance Court at 9am (0800GMT) on Friday in the presence of up to 50 defence attorneys who volunteered to defend Al Jazeera.

After 11 hours of stormy debate, and the collective walk out of the defence team, the trial was adjourned until July 11.

The judge rejected all the defence’s pleas and the team quit over a “lack of fair trial conditions”, accusing the judge of biased and dismissing the trial as political.

The presiding judge and the attorney general then addressed a few questions to Rachidi, who pleaded not guilty and insisted that he did his job as a professional journalist and provided both sides of the story in question.

The session was then adjourned at around 10pm (2100GMT).

Defence walkout

The defence attorneys began their argument by calling the charges brought against Rachidi void since the press code, under which Al Jazeera’s bureau chief was prosecuted, can be applicable only on the director of publication of the media organisation concerned.

“Since Rachidi is not the person in charge of the editorial policy of Al Jazeera and not the person to decide which story to be published or not, we call on your honour to drop all charges against our client,” Khalid Soufiani, leader of the defence team argued.

The lawyers submitted to the court a copy of Rachidi’s confiscated press accreditation, issued by the Moroccan communication ministry, which states the profession of Rachidi as reporter.

“As Mr Rachidi, according to the Moroccan official document, is a reporter and not the person in charge of publication in Al Jazeera, we say that this trial is illegal” another lawyer said.

The lawyers also criticised the main document submitted by the general prosecutor to the court – a news report that was run earlier by Morocco’s official news agency MAP.

But the judge rejected all defence arguments as unfounded.

He also turned down a petition to call for witnesses that included ministers, senior civilian and military officials to testify before the court on the events in the southern port city of Sidi Ifni that brought Rachidi to court.

They also demanded those in charge of the Reuters news agency and the Moroccan daily Al Ahdath – which both reported that people were killed in the Sidi Ifni protests – as well as heads of various human rights groups, stand before the judge as witnesses.

The defence’s cross-examination of a CD submitted by the general prosecutor was also turned down.

Court disruption

Earlier in the day, the proceedings were disrupted by Ali Lmrabet, a Moroccan journalist, who was sentenced by the same judge in 2003 to three years in prison and was suspended from practicing journalism in Morocco for 10 years.

“I am here to remind you Mohammed El-Alaoui, the presiding judge. My name is Ali Lmrabet, the journalist that you have suspended from practicing the profession of journalism in Morocco for 10 years that I am actually doing my job as a journalist in spite of your order. And you can do nothing about it,” Lmrabet shouted before he was dragged by the police out of the court room.

Ahmed Snousi, a Moroccan satirist, was also ejected from the court room for reciting slogans in support of Lmrabet, who spent seven months in jail before he was a granted a pardon by the king.

Lmrabet is now a reporter of the Spanish newspaper El Mondo.

Strained relations

Rachidi is charged with reporting that people were killed in clashes with security forces in the southwestern port city of Sidi Ifni on June 7 during a protest over poverty and rising unemployment.

Moroccan authorities have rejected as “false” and “absurd” reports of deaths, saying that 48 people were injured, including 28 police officers, but that no deaths occurred.

Although Al Jazeera reported the government’s denial, the Rabat chief prosecutor’s office ordered an investigation to determine how the false information was disseminated.

Rachidi was interrogated by the judiciary police for four hours and was charged on June 14 with publishing false information and conspiracy.

Minutes later, the Moroccan communication ministry withdrew his media accreditation.

Rachidi’s trial is the latest in a series of incidents that have seen the channel come into conflict with the kingdom’s authorities.

In May, Morocco suspended Al Jazeera’s daily television news bulletin covering the Maghreb countries – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania – from its studios in the Moroccan capital.

The decision, according to Khalid Naciri, the Moroccan communication minister and a spokesman for the government, was due to technical and legal issues.

Rachidi is facing prosecution under Article 42 of the country’s press code.

“The press code requires that two conditions be satisfied in order to convict someone for publishing false information under Article 42,” Soufiani, the lead defence lawyer, told Al Jazeera.

“The first condition is the publication of false information with the intention of bad faith and, second, that the publication disturbs the public order.”

If convicted, Rachidi could be sentenced to a prison term of between one and 12 months and a fine of up to $13,750.

After a stormy first hearing on Tuesday, the trial of Hassan Rachidi (photo, from daylife.com), Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Morocco is set to resume on Friday. The charges are conspiracy and spreading false information.

Mohammed el-Alaoui, the presiding judge at the trial of Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Morocco, has rejected on Tuesday an appeal by the defence team, asking for more time in order to better prepare the case.

The 20 defence lawyers who volunteered to defend Al Jazeera are expected to attend the second court session, due to resume at the Rabat First Instance Court, around 9am.

Many human rights activists, journalists and lawyers have been brought to believe that the trial is politically motivated, because of the way the court is pushing ahead with the case, giving lawyers only a short three-day adjournment for to prepare.

In Morocco, proceedings were adjourned for at least a week, and often two, in previous cases against journalists.

“This is a political trial”, Khalid Soufiani, who is leading the defence team, told Al Jazeera.

‘Speed up the indictment’

“All other ordinary cases in today’s hearings were shelved till September and October, except ours”, he added.

“Though we appealed to the judge to give us more time to better prepare our argument and to treat this case as any other ordinary one, he dismissed our appeal.”

Another defence lawyer, Lhbib Haji, called it “bad faith from the authorities in order to speed up the indictment”.

“It is a clear violation of all human rights charters.”

“Unfortunately, this is a political trial”, concurred Haytham Menna, a spokesperson for the Arab Commission for Human Rights.

“The withdrawal of press accreditation from Rachidi before the closure of the case is a political stance and not a judicial one. This stance does not show any respect to justice and can be explained only as a political decision.”

‘Fair trial’

Hassan Rachidi pleaded not guilty and said he did his job as journalist, by providing two sides of the story in question.

Though he was surprised by the short term postponement, Mr Rachidi expressed his confidence in the Moroccan justice system.

“I trust the Moroccan system of justice and all I want is a fair trial”, he said.

Mr Rachidi is charged with reporting that people were killed in clashes with security forces in the southwestern port city of Sidi Ifni on June 7, during a protest over poverty and rising unemployment. But reports of deaths have been rejected as “false” and “absurd” by Moroccan authorities, who said that 48 people were injured, including 28 police officers, but that nobody was killed.

Even though the government’s denial has been reported by Al Jazeera, a probe to determine how the false information was disseminated was ordered by the Rabat chief prosecutor’s office.

Hassan Rachidi could be sentenced to a prison term of between one and 12 months a fine of up to $13,750, if convicted.

The trial of Hassan Rachidi, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Morocco, is due to begin at Rabat First Instance Court on Tuesday.

Because he reported that on June 7 people were killed in clashes with security forces, in the southwestern port city of Sidi Ifni in a protest over poverty and rising unemployment, Mr Rachidi faces charges of “false information and conspiracy”.

The offence is punishable by a prison term of between one and twelve months and a fine of up to $13,750.

Even though the defence team is expected to ask the court for postponement, in order to better prepare the case, the court hearing is set to begin at 11h00 (1000 GMT) on Tuesday.

Reports of deaths in the Sidi Ifni prostest were “false” and “absurd”, said Moroccan authorities. According to them, 48 people were injured, including 28 police officers, but no deaths occurred.

Despite the fact that Al Jazeera reported the government’s denial, a probe to determine how the false information was disseminated has been ordered by the Rabat chief prosecutor’s office.

Article 42

For four hours, the judiciary police interrogated Mr Rachidi, who was charged with publishing false information and conspiracy on June 14.

Then, his media accreditation in the country has been withdrew by the Moroccan communication ministry.

Rachidi is facing prosecution under Article 42 of the country’s press code.

“The press code requires that two conditions be satisfied in order to convict someone for publishing false information under Article 42″, Khalid Soufiani, defence team leader, explained to Al Jazeera.

“The first condition is the publication of false information with the intention of bad faith and, second, that that publication disturbs the public order”, Soufiani said.

So the prosecution must prove that, by publishing a story knowing that it was false, Mr Rachidi acted in bad faith, said the defence team leader.

‘Inexplicable’

Rachidi will plead not guilty to the charges.

Al Jazeera’s daily news bulletin, covering the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania) from its studios in the Moroccan capital has been suspended by Morocco in May.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the action, calling it “inexplicable”.

“We need to have a clear explanation about why Al Jazeera is suspended. If there is no convincing reason then this will be seen as a political act of interference in media. That is unacceptable and intolerable for journalism in Morocco and for media throughout the region”, said Younes M’jahed, IFJ vice president and president of the national syndicate of Moroccan press (SNPM).

The decision was due to technical and legal issues, acording to Khalid Naciri, the Moroccan communication minister and official spokesman of the government.

“There’s no room for giving this decision a political dimension”, Mr Naciri was quoted as saying at a news conference in early May.

“The Rabat chief prosecutor’s office ordered detectives to hold a preliminary investigation following the broadcast Saturday, by Al-Jazeera from its Rabat bureau, of information stating that there had been deaths during demonstrations in Sidi Ifni,” the source said.

“Upon completion of the investigation, carried out in accordance with the law, Al-Jazeera’s bureau director in Rabat, Hassan Rachidi, and Ibrahim Sebaa El Layl (an official with the Moroccan committee for human rights) have been charged with publishing false information and conspiracy, under the terms of article 42 of the press code,” the official told national news agency MAP.