Morocco’s regime is accused of blackmailing critics

WHEN A FOREIGNVI journalist needs a pithy quote, or diplomats want to talk about human-rights abuses in Morocco, Fouad Abdelmoumni usually obliges. His expertise is microcredit, but he is also an articulate critic of the , the country’s royal court. So recently the men of King Muhammad (pictured) tried to shame Mr Abdelmoumni into silence. They gained access to recordings of him having sex with his partner. Then they pinged clips to his relatives’ phones.Mr Abdelmoumni says dozens of the king’s critics—from liberals to Islamists—have faced similar smear campaigns. Since 2019 the regime has tried and jailed three prominent journalists for sexual offences, including rape. Media in thrall to the hail these as victories for the country’s #MeToo movement. Independent journalists say they are being cowed by the king and his kangaroo courts. Several women who testified against the journalists said their statements were falsified. At least one of them was jailed, too.