Moroccan lawmakers denounce European Parliament criticism, reconsider ties

The Moroccan Parliament decided Monday to reconsider its ties with the European Parliament and subject them to a comprehensive evaluation after the EU legislature criticised the state of press freedoms in Morocco.

The decision followed an extraordinary joint plenary session of Morocco's two houses of Parliament in Rabat on Monday that was convened to address the European Parliament's resolution from last week.

The Moroccan legislators called the resolution an unacceptable attack on the kingdom's sovereignty and the independence and sanctity of its judicial institutions, according to a joint parliamentary statement read out by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami.

Last week, EU legislators approved a non-binding resolution calling on Moroccan authorities to improve their respect of freedom of expression and media freedom.

The resolution said press freedom in the North African kingdom has been continuously deteriorating, and called for a fair trial with all