A journalist before criminal court for his comment on twitter against a judge


Moroccan journalist and activist Omar Randy will stand trial in Morocco in March on charges of insulting a judge via Twitter, according to the Observatory for Human Rights.
Randy, a 33-year-old award-winning journalist who has been involved in corruption reporting in Morocco and has worked with various international media outlets, was due to be sentenced on January 2, 2020, but the case was postponed.
According to CNN, Randy faces up to one year in prison if he is eventually convicted of a tweet he made nine months ago against a judge.
Several people rallied in support of Randy outside the country's parliament in the capital Rabat demanding his acquittal and speaking about revenge against a reporter for investigative journalism.
Last April, Randy posted a critical comment about a judge who upheld the verdict against a protest movement. The leaders of the protest movement were sentenced in June 2018 to 20 years in prison, the Human Rights Watch said.
"Let us all remember that Judge Lahcen Tolfi is against our brothers. In many regimes, judges like him come back a little later, apologizing for the mere fact that they were simply executing orders. Do not forget or forgive such officials, "Randy wrote on Twitter, and his post sparked reactions from the authorities.
After ten days, the police interrogated him and eventually the journalist faces criminal charges and imprisonment. However, according to the Human Rights Watch, he is not alone, as are other public figures, including singers and even students, who have been arrested for comment on social media.
Finally, a court in Morocco has decided to release the journalist and activist Omar Radi, who is due to appear in court again on March 5, 2020. Eventually, the court adjourned the case at the request of its new lawyers to examine the case file. (source: legalnews24.gr)

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