Catherine Graciet is a French journalist known for her work on the finance and geopolitics of the oil business, and for her work on Morocco and its government.
Biography edit
In January 2004 Graciet and French photographer Nadia Ferroukhi were arrested by the Moroccan government and expelled from the country after traveling to Laayoune to meet supporters of independence for the Western Sahara.[1][2]
On 13 January 2011, during the Tunisian Revolution, Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali lifted Internet censorship, including access to "La régente de Carthage," a book about the president's wife by Nicolas Beau and Catherine Graciet, becoming available via Facebook.[3]
Spain's El País newspaper, issue of 26 February 2012, was banned in Morocco, because it contained excerpts from Graciet's and Laurent's book, entitled "The Predator King: buying up Morocco," which looks at King Mohammed's wealth, which doubled from 2005 to 2012.[4]
According to Aurelian Breeden, writing for The New York Times, Graciet has "established a reputation" as a "fierce critic" of the Moroccan leadership. Per the same source, Graciet was arrested in August 2015 (along with co-author Éric Laurent) for allegedly accepting a bribe to not publish books about the Moroccan leadership ever again. Both authors "do not deny that a financial transaction took place", but that it was either "a trap"[5] or "a private transaction."[6][7][8][9][10]
On March 15, 2023, Éric Laurent and Catherine Graciet, were sentenced in Paris to a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros.[1].
Books edit
- le roi prédateur (The Predator King), 2012, with Éric Laurent
- La régente de Carthage, 2009, with Nicholas Beau
References edit
- ^ "Two Norwegian Journalists Threatened with Expulsion". Reporters Without Borders. 16 June 2004. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "Two Norwegian journalists threatened with expulsion - IFEX". ifex.org. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "President's promises must be followed by action, says RSF". IFEX. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "Student handed one year prison sentence for posting cartoon of the king on Facebook". IFEX. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Bremner, Charles (1 September 2015). "Arrested writers 'were saving Morocco'". Retrieved 14 November 2018 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Breeden, Aurelien (1 September 2015). "French Publisher Won't Print Book on Moroccan King After Authors' Arrest". New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (31 August 2015). "French journalists accused of blackmailing Moroccan king claim entrapment". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "French reporters 'blackmailed king'". BBC News. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "Catherine Graciet : "Je suis tombée dans un piège"". leparisien.fr. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "Two French Journalists, the King of Morocco, and a Tale of Blackmail". vice.com. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.