Sunday 23 February 2025 
BY: Dr. Hana Saada
ALGIERS- In a notable shift in its position regarding the case of the jailed Moroccan journalist Sulaiman Al-Raissouni, the “International Federation of Journalists” described all trials of the imprisoned journalist since May 22, 2020, as “unfair” and demanded his release.
This statement came in a letter received by the wife of the detained journalist, Kholood Al-Mukhtar, bearing the signature of the president of the French Federation of Journalists, Dominique Pradalié.
The International Federation of Journalists had not taken up Sulaiman Al-Raissouni’s case since its inception over four years ago when it was headed by Younes M’Jahed, the president of the “National Press Council” in Morocco and the former president of the Moroccan Journalists’ Syndicate. Throughout M’Jahed’s tenure, the Federation remained silent on the Al-Raissouni case, and no position was issued until the new president took office in June 2022.
According to the private correspondence addressed to Kholood Al-Mukhtar on February 21, the organization based its opinion on Sulaiman Al-Raissouni and his trial on the report of the United Nations team concerned with arbitrary detention, which considered Al-Raissouni’s detention arbitrary and demanded his immediate release.
Furthermore, according to the same letter, the Federation’s advocacy for Sulaiman Al-Raissouni began within Morocco, where the Federation President met with the Moroccan Journalists’ Union on the sidelines of the opening session of the latter’s last conference held in September 2023. The letter stated that the Federation President informed the members of the Moroccan union that Sulaiman Al-Raissouni did not receive a fair trial.
“Federation” Urges Moroccan Press Union to Act
On the other hand, the President of the International Federation of Journalists, Dominique Pradalié, called on the National Union of Moroccan Journalists, led by Abdelkebir Khchichine to activate mechanisms to push for the release of the imprisoned Moroccan journalist Sulaiman Al-Raissouni, classified as one of the journalists who did not receive a fair trial.
The President of the International Federation of Journalists drew the attention of the Moroccan Journalists’ Union President to the fact that Sulaiman Al-Raissouni “is serving a heavy prison sentence on charges he denies,” classifying him among journalists who did not benefit from a fair trial.
The President of the International Federation of Journalists urged the President of the National Union of Moroccan Journalists to move towards demanding the release of Sulaiman Al-Raissouni.
The Federation did not stop at urging the Moroccan Journalists’ Union to act for the release of Sulaiman Al-Raissouni but also knocked on other doors, including the European Parliament. The data included in the correspondence indicates that the Secretary-General of the Federation attempted to bring the case of Al-Raissouni to the European Parliament. However, there was no response to his invitation, as the European Parliament had issued severe criticisms of Morocco regarding the state of press freedom in the kingdom a few months earlier, demanding the temporary release of detained journalists and calling, through a non-binding text, for “putting an end to harassment against all journalists in the country.”
The Federation clarified that its inability to do more for Sulaiman Al-Raissouni’s case is due to the limited human and material resources at its disposal and its inability to launch advocacy campaigns for the release of every imprisoned journalist around the world, including Al-Raissouni, a fact it expressed “regret” for.
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