The Next Web

Moroccan Blogger Mohamed Eraji has conviction quashed; Swedish Wiretapping documentary goes viral.

Written on September 19, 2008 – 8:16 pm
David Petherick, Contributing Editor, United Kingdom

Last week, we reported that Mohamed Erraji was sentenced to two years in prison and fined, for “showing disrespect to the king”, which is, according to Morocco’s press code, an offense. We felt that it was worth bringing to your attention the fact that the freedom to say what you wish online is far from Universal.

We also were happy to allow our readers a world exclusive preview of ‘Wiretapping Sweden‘, a documentary film which we think deserves your attention because of the dangerous and international scope for the precedent set by a new law in Sweden allowing government monitoring of your online activity and correspondence (and you don’t have to live in Sweden, or anywhere near it, for this to affect you).

Today, we are happy to report that Mohamed Erraji conviction has been quashed (albeit on a procedural technicality), according to Reporters without Borders. And we are also happy to announce that the ‘Wiretapping Sweden‘ documentary has been widely publicised, and has had over 10,000 views so far.

So tonight, as another Next Web Salon takes place in Amsterdam, Morocco may be almost listening, and Sweden may still be wiretapping, but it’s been a fairly good week for the open spread of ideas across the Next Web.

I hope you like that post!

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Mohamed Erraji, Morocco, Reporters Without Borders, sweden, Telephone tapping

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In our world, bloggers still get jailed for their writings, like Erraji

Written on September 10, 2008 – 9:52 am
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief

Just a reminder on the Wednesday morning that what we, millions of bloggers, do, isn’t that normal in the rest of the world. For many people, blogging whatever you want is an illusion. Like Mohamed Erraji, 29, who wrote in online newspaper Hespress that Morocco had been destroyed by a culture of handing out gifts and privileges by the government. According to him, begging has become a rewarding activity in the north African kingdom.

“It has made the Moroccans a people without dignity, who live by donations and gifts,” Erraji wrote.

The government took this as showing disrespect to the king, which is, according to Morocco’s press code, an offense. So Erraji was jailed on Friday and dragged to court on Monday, where he was sentenced to two years in prison and a hefty fine. He had no defense lawyer and the judgment only took ten minutes.

According to Reuters, Reporters Without Borders said the sentence was “worthy of the most totalitarian states” and demanded Erraji’s liberation. The government officials could not be reached for comment.

So while you and I start another day of blogging freely, somebody lives a captured life because of his writings. Just think about that every once in a while and consider to do a write-up on this as well.

bloggers, freedom, Mohamed Erraji, Morocco, politics

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