Maâti
Monjib

Update, 13 May 2026: In July 2024 Monjib was covered by a royal pardon of his 2021 conviction, but he remains barred from leaving Morocco. On 30 March 2026, border police prevented him from boarding a flight at Rabat-Salé airport despite an official university summons, after which he announced a hunger strike. His bank accounts have been frozen since 2019, and a confiscation of his assets has been ordered. His lawyers plan UN complaints in Geneva and New York.

Background and Work

Maâti Monjib is a French and Moroccan historian and journalist who has dedicated his career to press freedom and anti-corruption work in Morocco. He serves as President of Freedom Now, an association defending freedom of expression and journalism, and co-founded the Moroccan Association for Investigative Journalism (MAIJ), which investigates and exposes corruption.

His work centres on creating institutional support for investigative reporters and defending the rights of journalists operating under pressure. This sustained focus on transparency and accountability has made him a target of state security agencies.

The 2015 Charges and Their Resurfacing

In 2015, Moroccan authorities first brought charges of "threatening the internal security of the State" against Monjib and several other human rights defenders. The case lay dormant for years before resurfacing in 2020 with additional allegations.

On 29 December 2020, police arrested Monjib without a warrant at a restaurant in Rabat, and an investigative judge at Rabat First Instance Court ordered his preventive detention on a new charge of money laundering. An investigation session was scheduled for 20 January 2021.

Conviction in Absentia

On 27 January 2021, the Court of First Instance in Rabat convicted Monjib of threatening the internal security of the state and sentenced him to one year in prison. The hearing was conducted in absentia: neither Monjib nor his lawyers were permitted to attend. The verdict was delivered without the defendant present to contest the charges or cross-examine evidence.

Hunger Strike and Conditional Release

Monjib was held in El Arjat 2 prison in Salé, near Rabat. On 4 March 2021, he began an open-ended hunger strike to protest his detention, the conviction, and the procedural irregularities that had marked the case. The strike continued for weeks.

He was conditionally released on 23 March 2021, though the legal proceedings against him remained active. Multiple appeal hearings followed, each rescheduled. An 8 April 2021 hearing before the Appeals Court in Casablanca was postponed to 10 June 2021.

Appeals and Ongoing Restrictions

On 30 September 2021, Monjib arrived at the Administrative Court of Appeal in Rabat for another hearing. Approximately two hundred security agents surrounded the courthouse, half of them helmeted and armed with sticks and shields. The deployment appeared designed to prevent any public gathering in his support; the agents dispersed after Monjib and his lawyer left.

The hearing was rescheduled again to 2 December 2021 due to the absence of other co-defendants. His case was to be heard alongside several other defenders facing the same charge of threatening state security.

Asset Freeze and Defamation

Monjib's bank account and credit card were frozen without prior notification, leaving him without access to income. State-owned media outlets have conducted defamation campaigns against him, accusing him of inciting violence and embezzling civil society funds. These smear campaigns have accompanied the judicial harassment, amplifying the pressure on him and his family.

International Context

Monjib's case exemplifies the pattern of judicial harassment facing defenders of press freedom in Morocco. The resurfacing of old charges, the use of national-security statutes to criminalise journalism advocacy, the asset freezes, and the coordinated media defamation campaigns together illustrate the toolbox deployed against those who challenge official narratives.