Ali Amar

Ali Amar (1967) is a Moroccan author and journalist. He holds a degree in Economics and a Master’s in International Journalism from City, University of London in the UK.

In 1997, Amart co-founded the journal 'Le Journal Hebdomadaire' which he edited until it became the first independent journal to be banned by the Moroccan regime in 2010. Since then, he has written for the information site ‘Slate Afrique’.

Amar is author of the bestseller, Mohammed VI. Le Grand Malentendu (Callman-Levy, 2009) which was published in France. The book was censored in Morocco due to the fact it reveals the reality of the first ten years of the reign of the Moroccan king. Similarly, his book Paris-Marrakech: Argent, pouvoir et reseaux (Callman-Levy, 2012), co-authored with Jean-Pierre Tuquoi, detailed the incestuous ties between Moroccan and French elites against the Arab Revolutions.

Due to his ‘engaged pen’ and thorough inquiries into the Moroccan monarchy, Amar was frequently persecuted in his home country. This led him to becoming the ICORN Guest Writer for Ljubljana City of Refuge from 2011 and 2013 and Brussels City of Refuge from 2014 and 2015.

In 2015, Amar returned to Morocco to launch the online news and investigation outlet ‘Le Desk’ alongside his wife, Fatima Zahra Lqadiri.