Mediapart journalist of Algerian origin denied entry to Morocco while investigating Ceuta migration tragedy
Nejma Brahim, a Franco-Algerian journalist for Mediapart specializing in migration issues, was denied entry to Morocco on August 13 upon her arrival at Tanger airport. She was traveling to Morocco to continue her investigation into the migration tragedy near Ceuta, which occurred in late July, where migrants died or disappeared attempting to cross the border. Mediapart had intended for her to gather testimonies from victims' families in Morocco after she had already investigated the Spanish side of the incident. Upon her arrival, Brahim was questioned for nearly five hours by the Directorate General of National Security DGSN. She was held overnight, deprived of her passport, and then sent back to Paris the following morning. Her passport was returned to her on the plane, along with an official expulsion notification that Mediapart noted strangely listed her nationality as "French of Algerian origin." French consular authorities were unable to prevent the expulsion. Mediapart has condemned this decision as a "flagrant attack on press freedom," stating it prevented their reporter from covering a major migration crisis and giving a voice to victims' families. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights AMDH in Tangier also criticized the expulsion, viewing it as a violation of press freedom and the right to inform. This incident follows other recent expulsions of foreign reporters in Morocco, with Mediapart highlighting that just days earlier, on August 15, EFE agency and Spanish
