Since he was admitted to the Ain El Borja prison in Casablanca in February 2018, authorities «have not allowed Moroccan journalist Taoufik Bouachrine to meet with other prisoners or converse with staff», said international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW). In an article published, Friday, HRW denounced the situation of the journalist which it sees as «cruel and inhuman under United Nations Rules». To the NGO, Moroccan authorities keep the former editor-in-chief of Akhbar Alyaoum «in a form of abusive solitary confinement for more than a year». «No matter the alleged crime, a person in custody has the right to humane treatment», said Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch Sarah Leah Whitson, adding that «the draconian isolation regime imposed on Taoufik Bouachrine is unjustified and should be lifted». «There is a world of difference between granting an inmate his own cell and cutting him off from daily human contact. The former can be humane, the latter is inhumane». Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch Sarah Leah Whitson Quoting Bouachrine's wife Asmae Moussaoui, Human Rights Watch wrote that «guards are forbidden to speak with him». «His cell is unlocked during parts of the day, giving him access to an extra space with no one else in it», the NGO said, reporting that the journalist is allowed to two house of workout every day, but he has always to be alone.
