Le Journal Hebdo, arguably Morocco’s most irreverent and political critical liberal publication, has lot its appeal to avoid paying the highest-ever libel fees imposed by a Moroccan court. It’s all here.

I met with Abou Bakr Jamai, Le Journal Hebdo’s publisher, about a month ago in Casablanca and found him extremely interesting. In Morocco itself he is considered too controversial. In my book that means he’s doing something right. I don’t have time to say much more about this, except that it’s depressing that the one ray of hope in the region seems to be taking a turn for the worse.