| Outspoken Morocco rapper charged over "insulting" song Mar 31st 2012, 08:35  By Souhail Karam | Reuters – 50 mins ago RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan rapper was charged on Friday with insulting public authorities in a song that was posted on YouTube, at the start of a trial criticised by his supporters as a new attempt to muzzle an outspoken critic of the monarchy. The court, in Casablanca, adjourned the trial of Mouad Belrhouat, known as El-Haqed or "The Sullen One", to April 4 and refused him bail, his lawyer Hatim Bekkar said. It is less than three months since El-Haqed was sentenced to four months in prison for assault after a brawl with a monarchist, but released at once because he had spent that long in detention awaiting trial. Bekkar said his client had been arrested by plainclothes police officers on Thursday without a warrant. The state-run MAP news agency said he was arrested for "singing a song defamatory to a public authority" - which it did not name - and for posting images "detrimental to public servants". El-Haqed was the voice of a movement that organised mass protests last year to push for a constitutional monarchy, an independent judiciary and less corruption. His lyrics have angered many monarchists but struck a chord with Moroccans disenchanted with the lack of jobs and widespread corruption. The authorities, trying to prevent popular revolts like those in Egypt and Tunisia, introduced reforms in July which were meant to make the judiciary constitutionally independent and to guarantee greater respect for public freedoms. But the courts still have a reputation for taking their cue from the authorities. El-Haqed's brother, Abderrahim Belrhouat, said Friday's trial "shows how nothing has changed in Morocco". Bekkar said the trial was political and that El-Haqed faced up to three years' jail if found guilty. "It seems the police are now the plaintiff ... The prosecution has ordered his detention as if he represented a danger to the community". The court questioned El-Haqed about a video of his song "Kilab Addawla" - "Dogs of the State" in English - which was posted on Youtube in January with a photo montage critical of the police, the government and the monarchy. "It was El-Haqed's song, yes, but he had nothing to do with the video or the photo montage on it," activist Maria Karim said. The video has had some 126,000 hits since it was posted. It showed a member of the riot police with a donkey's head tugging at a protester's clothes, and a picture of servants bowing before the king in one of his palaces with a caption reading "Collective bowing, but not before God". Abbdelilah Benabdeslam, from Morocco's main human rights group AMDH, said El-Haqed's arrest comes at a time of "growing constraints on freedom of speech and opinion in Morocco". "El-Haqed uses songs to express his views about ... Morocco. Democracies allow their citizens to express their views without risking arrest," he said. On Tuesday, an appeal court near Rabat sentenced 18-year-old Walid Bahomane to 18 months in prison after a cartoon of the king - originally published by a French newspaper - was posted on his Facebook page. A 24-year-old activist was jailed for three years in February for slandering the king in a video on Youtube. Many people have been jailed this year for taking part in protests over unemployment, corruption and poverty, and many Moroccans are growing impatient as they wait for action to put the proposed reforms into effect. "One does not have to go far back to discover how the police force often commits violations in handling peaceful protests," said Benabdeslam, who cited a recent report by 18 local rights groups that slammed the police for excessive use of violence in handling protests in northern Morocco. Communications Minister Mustafa el-Khalfi, who is also the government spokesman, could not be reached for comment. The government says it is fully committed to respect for human rights. 
[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\'It's going to be a circus\': Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\'s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ] [ [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]  | |
