Government denies hindering coverage of Rif unrest

Morocco has rejected accusations by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that it obstructed coverage of months of unrest and protests that have shaken the northern Rif region. A report on the News24 site notes that RSF last month issued a scathing statement accusing the authorities in the North African country of preventing journalists from covering events in the Rif. ‘The situation of Moroccan and foreign journalists covering the events in northern Morocco keeps on getting worse,’ said Yasmine Kacha, the head of RSF's North Africa bureau. On Monday last week, the Culture and Communications Ministry rejected the accusations as biased, unfounded and ‘lacking in credibility and proof’. It said 89 foreign media correspondents accredited in Morocco hold ‘all the permits necessary to carry out their work under normal conditions across the country’.