HIBAPRESS – Rabat
The General Secretariat of the Justice and Development Party announced today, Friday, November 21, 2025, its solidarity with the journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui, against the backdrop of the leak of a video recording related to a meeting of the Ethics Committee for the Profession and Disciplinary Issues of the Provisional Committee for the Management of Press and Publishing Affairs, which El Mahdaoui broadcast yesterday, Thursday.
The party affirmed that the recording included statements and vulgar words and serious biases, pointing out that the meeting was not in accordance with the established standards for the self-regulation of the press, but rather came with a background of revenge, according to what was stated in the official statement. The General Secretariat of "PJD" confirmed that the concerned provisional committee had lost its legal and legitimate legitimacy after repeated extensions, despite its continued exercise of competencies related to the self-management of the press sector. The party explained that what was stated in the leaks constitutes a breach of the reputation and independence of the judicial institution and the press committee, and it directly affects the professionalism and future of the journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui and the public's confidence in the institutions. The General Secretariat demanded the opening of an urgent judicial investigation into the leaks and the serious data contained therein, and the immediate resignation or dismissal of the provisional committee due to its loss of credibility and legitimacy, in addition to withdrawing the draft law of the National Press Council from the House of Councilors and reviewing it comprehensively after investigating these facts. The party affirmed that the government bears political and moral responsibility for the continuation of the committee and its violation of the law, calling for urgent measures to ensure the protection of freedom of the press and the independence of the concerned institutions. The statement pointed out that the position of the General Secretariat comes within the framework of principled solidarity with the journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui, who was subjected to what the party described as "inappropriate and humiliating treatment" by the committee, considering that what the leaks revealed reflects a deep crisis of confidence in the institutions in charge of regulating the press sector in Morocco.
