Mustapha Ramid, the former Minister of State for Human Rights and former Minister of Justice, has issued a strong response to revelations made by journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui concerning a meeting of the Ethics Committee of the Provisional Commission for the Management of the Press and Publishing Sector. Ramid denounced what he called a «serious deviation» that compromises the institution and its professional ethics. He declared that «moral outrages and legal violations were committed during this meeting». These actions, he argued, «highlight the failure of certain elites who should be defending rights and freedoms, not infringing upon them». The former minister further stated that «it is unacceptable for an institution to penalize an individual for a minor comment while it engages in serious misconduct itself». He described the situation as a «resounding moral failure» on the part of the Ethics Committee members of the Provisional Commission. In the meantime, deputies from the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) have submitted a written inquiry to the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mehdi Bensaid, regarding these revelations. The parliamentarians stressed that «these leaks raise serious concerns about press freedom and citizens' trust in institutions». They are also seeking clarification on the «measures» the ministry intends to implement to «verify the authenticity and context» of these revelations, and to «ensure that such practices, which undermine the role of professional institutions tasked with upholding journalism and its ethics, do not occur again».
