Omar Radi
Omar Radi عمر الراضي | |
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Born | Kenitra, Morocco | 18 July 1986
Genre | Journalism |
Omar Radi (Arabic: عمر الراضي) is a Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist. He worked in Atlantic Radio, Media 24, TelQuel[1] and Le Desk focusing on investigations[2] about human rights, corruption and social movements.[3] He was detained in Casablanca on 26 December 2019 for insulting a judge in a tweet six months prior.[4]
Career
Radi has worked on anti-competition practices by Mounir Majidi;[5] corruption among politicians and members of parliament;[6] budgetary problems in the urgent education program;[7] a 2018 documentary about the Hirak Rif Movement;[8] and coverage of social movements in Sidi Ifni, Imidir and Rif.[9]
2019 Arrest
On 26 December 2019, Omar Radi was summoned to the local police station in Casablanca where he was arrested.[10] The official reason given for his arrest was that—in April of 2019, more than 6 months before his arrest—Radi tweeted critically of a Casablanca magistrate for delivering 20-years jail sentence of 42 activists, including Nasser Zefzafi, from the Hirak Rif Movement.[11] In an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, Radi stated that he believed he was arrested because he was at a journalism awards ceremony in Algeria 3 days prior to his incarceration, speaking to the public about the Moroccan political economy and what he described as "economic predation" in Morocco and a "state capture model of economy."[12]
The National union for journalists asked for his release.[13] The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) condemned the arrest.[14] Human Rights Watch asked the authorities for his release and praised his quality journalism.[15] On 29 September 2019, protests took place in front of the parliament.[16]
On 31 December 2019, he was released on bail[17][18] following a national and international campaign in his support, two days before his judgement, due on 2 January 2020. The judgement was then postponed to 5 March 2020.[19]
Phone hacking
On June 21, Amnesty International released a report stating it found evidence that Omar Radi's personal cellphone had been infected with the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli technology firm NSO Group.[20][21] The program can covertly access a phone’s camera, microphone, text messages, emails, applications, and location.[22] As NSO Group publicly states that it sells its software exclusively to governments, Amnesty International concluded in its report that the surveillance was conducted by Moroccan authorities.[22] Israel classifies this technology as a weapon and its approval is required for any exports.[22][23]
See also
References
- ^ "Qui est Omar Radi, le journaliste et militant incarcéré pour un tweet ?". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Au Maroc, Omar Radi, nouveau journaliste dans le viseur des autorités – Libération". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Omar Radi | Middle East Eye". 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Press, The Associated (27 December 2019). "Moroccan YouTuber Sentenced to Prison, Journalist Detained". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "اعتقال عمر الراضي أحد مفجري فضيحة أراضي خدام الدولة واختلاس البرنامج الاستعجالي للتعليم – ألف بوست". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "بروفيل- محاكمة الصحافي عمر الراضي.. من اختراق مربع "خدام الدولة" إلى "الموت ولا المذلة" – اليوم 24". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "جطو يُعري البرنــامج الاستعجـالــــي لأحمد اخشيشن – اليوم 24". 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "بروفيل- محاكمة الصحافي عمر الراضي.. من اختراق مربع "خدام الدولة" إلى "الموت ولا المذلة" – اليوم 24". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "متضامنون مع عمر – Le Desk". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Lesire-Ogrel, Benjamin; Stangler, Cole (17 November 2017). "The Revolutionary Potential of Journalism in Morocco". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Au Maroc, le journaliste Omar Radi placé en détention pour un tweet critiquant la justice". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Meet Omar Radi, the Moroccan Journalist Who Was Jailed for a Single Tweet & Faces Trial on March 5". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Au Maroc, le journaliste Omar Radi placé en détention pour un tweet critiquant la justice". 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Des centaines de Marocains manifestent contre l'arrestation du journaliste, Omar Radi". 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Kasraoui, Safaa (31 December 2019). "Moroccan Journalist Omar Radi Leaves Prison on Provisional Release". Morocco World News. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "عمر الراضي لـ"لكم": إطلاق سراحي رجوع للصواب ومحاكمتي ستكون مقبولة اذا ما توفرت لها شروط المحاكمة العادلة". لكم-lakome2 (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "تأجيل محاكمة عمر الراضي إلى مارس المقبل" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ "« C'est David contre Goliath » : comment l'iPhone du journaliste marocain Omar Radi a été espionné". Le Monde.fr (in French). 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Moroccan Journalist Targeted With Network Injection Attacks Using NSO Group's Tools". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Priest, Dana (21 June 2020). "Spyware technology found on phone of Moroccan journalist, report says". The Washington Post.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Israeli spyware used to target Moroccan journalist, Amnesty claims". the Guardian. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.