Morocco has suspended the operations of Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV news channel and withdrawn the accreditations of its staff, the communications ministry said.

It said the sanctions followed “numerous failures in (following) the rules of serious and responsible journalism”, while a leading rights group said it was a “backward step” for the kingdom, according to a report in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

Al Jazeera bureau chief in Rabat, Palestinian Abdelkader Kharroubi, said the channel “has always respected the rule of professionalism and neutrality, particularly in Morocco.”

He said “unfortunately the question of Al Jazeera is not in the hands of the ministry only. Other parties decide at this level.” He said the suspension was “a mistake on the part of the authorities, which has nothing to do with us.”

A government official said the authorities took exception to the way the channel handled the issues of Islamists and Western Sahara. – TradeArabia News Service