Ali Lmrabet, a 66-year-old French-Moroccan journalist and political commentator, was released from police custody on Wednesday. Lmrabet, a leading figure in Morocco's independent press who lives in Spain, was arrested Sunday upon his arrival at Tangier airport.
A Moroccan prosecutor stated that the arrest was based on several notices regarding online content suspected of constituting criminal offenses, including the publication of defamatory and insulting digital content targeting individuals and institutions. While Lmrabet has been released after questioning, an investigation continues, and the prosecutor's office in Casablanca said the appropriate legal consequences will be determined once the investigation is completed.
An outspoken critic of Morocco's political system for decades, Lmrabet has a history of legal conflict with the state. He was jailed in 2003 on charges that included offending King Mohammed VI, and in 2005, a Moroccan court banned him from practicing journalism in Morocco for 10 years. Since then, he has remained active as a political commentator on social media.
Following the arrest of Lmrabet and a rapper, Moroccan activists have warned of an intensifying crackdown on critics of the regime.