In Morocco, a human rights defender was sentenced to prison for the second time

A Moroccan human rights activist who was jailed for three years has been sentenced to two years in prison in another case for making insulting remarks about the king and justice, his lawyers heard on Thursday (May 25th). Saida El Alam “Sentenced for ‘insulting the king’ and ‘insulting a magistrate or official in the exercise of their functions'” following statements made during a previous trial.His lawyer Ahmed Ait Benaser told AFP about it. The First Court of Casablanca sentenced him to two years in prison on Wednesday evening.

He is already serving a three-year sentence, which was announced on appeal in September 2022, for “disrespecting a constitutional body” and “spreading false accusations or incorrect facts, infringing on the privacy of individuals or defaming them”. “At the moment, we do not know whether the principle of non-accumulation of punishment will be applied or not, because the legal procedure is still ongoing.said Suad Brahma, another defense lawyer who plans to appeal.

In March 2022, this 49-year-old Moroccan man posing as “political dissident” He regularly published posts critical of the government on Facebook and social networks. According to the human rights non-governmental organization Amnesty International, he particularly condemned the security services and the corruption in the judicial system. His new conviction carries a fine of 20,000 dirhams (over €1,800).

Saida El Alami, a member of the “Moroccan Women Against Political Detention” collective, expressed her support for the Moroccan journalists and activists tried and imprisoned by the court, such as Omar Radi and Sulaiman Raisoun. After his arrest, Amnesty asked the Moroccan authorities End the prosecution of activists who criticize public figures, representatives or state institutions, and ensure that citizens can freely express their opinions without fear of reprisals..