Abdelkebir Khashichen Dragging the National Journalists’ Syndicate into the Political Blackmail Market
Months ago, Abdelkebir Khashichen met with a Qatari entity known for its previous soft breaches of journalism outside of Morocco, where attempts to undermine him were revealed following this meeting, which raised suspicion and doubts. Today, Khashichen is taking larger steps by joining a new front that includes associations hostile to the national cause, a coalition that even the members of his executive bureau within the syndicate were not informed about or consulted, exposing a complete unilateralism and total disregard for the most basic democratic principles within the National Journalists’ Syndicate.
Khashichen does not hide his true motives; he aims to transform the syndicate, an institution that safeguards the rights and interests of journalists, into a marketplace for political blackmail, where he imposes his conditions through threats: “Either my place in the organizing bodies, or I will sell the institution and trade its credibility.” This aggressive message undermines the dignity of journalists and threatens the independence of the institution.
Today, he controls an esteemed syndicate, built on the struggles of honorable men and women journalists, employing a dictatorial style that knows no partnership or dialogue, exercising his individual rule with no respect for the opinions of his executive bureau members, while ignoring the cries for help rising from within the syndicate itself.
We are facing a direct threat to a historic national institution that oversees the rights and interests of journalists. Our silence on this matter implies an implicit contribution to the destruction of one of the last strongholds of press freedom in Morocco. Our responsibility as journalists and national actors today surpasses any personal interest; it is to protect this body from slipping into paths of blackmail and narrow personal interests, thus maintaining its independence and dignity as a credible platform and a stronghold for the nation’s issues.
