(Ecofin Agency) - In Morocco, a new trial was just opened against journalist Ali Anouzla, director of website Lakome2. This time, he is tried before the High Court of Rabat for “infringing the territorial integrity”. Next hearing is on February 9, 2016.

Ali Anouzla is accused to have used the terms “Western Sahara” and “Occupied Sahara” in an interview with German daily “Bild”. According to the French Press Agency, the Moroccan journalist was debating on the threats to freedom of press in his country. According to him these are: “the monarchy, Islam and the occupied Western Sahara”.

It is no secret that Moroccan authorities are very sensitive to the Western Sahara issue. The Kingdom claims the territory and never acknowledged its ownership by the Western Sahrawi Arab Republic proclaimed in 1976 by the Front Polisario.

Ali Anouzla said he never used the terms “Western Sahara” or “Occupied Sahara” and said there might have been an improper translation of the Arabic version of the interview. He says he used the term Sahara, nothing more. “The interview was in Arabic and the interpreter must have translated it wrongly. I never said “Western Sahara” but just Sahara. I never mentioned any “occupied Sahara” because that is not part of my conviction,” Ali Anouzla said on Telquel.ma.

In this trial, Ali Anouzla could end up spending up to five years in prison. He was already accused of “eulogy” and “incitement to terrorism” since the publishing in 2013 on his website Lakome of a link directed to a video where Al-Qaeda was addressing Islamic Maghreb threatening Morocco and its king.