Amnesty International urged Morocco on Tuesday to free journalist Taoufik Bouachrine, known for his editorials and cartoons critical of the authorities.
Last November, a Casablanca court convicted Bouachrine, director of Akhbar Al-Yaum newspaper, to 12 years in prison on charges of human trafficking and abuse of power for sexual purposes. His lawyers say the trial was politically motivated.
"We believe that Bouachrine's imprisonment is a matter of freedom of expression," the head of Amnesty's Morocco branch, Mohamed Sektaoui, said at a press conference in Rabat.
"He is paying a high price for his right to peacefully express critical opinions,” Sektaoui was quoted as saying by AFP.
The 49-year-old was arrested last February at the offices of his independent daily.
A United Nations Human Rights Council working group reported in January that Bouachrine was the victim of "arbitrary detention" and "judicial harassment.”
Sektaoui backed the UN's findings and said the journalist "must be released immediately.”
Last week, Morocco's Justice Minister Mohamed Aujjar expressed the government’s surprise over a report issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention about Bouachrine.
