Whistle-blower is jailed and fined

Mr Ahmed Boukhari, the former Moroccan intelligence agent who revealed how the opposition leader Mr Mehdi Ben Barka was murdered…

Mr Ahmed Boukhari, the former Moroccan intelligence agent who revealed how the opposition leader Mr Mehdi Ben Barka was murdered, smuggled back to Morocco and dissolved in acid in 1965, has been sentenced to one year in prison and a £12,000 fine by a court in Casablanca, reports Lara Marlowe.

Mr Boukhari (62) was found guilty of writing two bad cheques nine years ago. Human rights groups said the charges were a pretext to silence the former agent, who talked of other "disappearances" - and named Moroccan officials involved in kidnapping, torture and assassination. He has been on hunger strike for the past week.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter