The Moroccan Rabat Courtroom of First Occasion sentenced journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui on Monday to 18 months in jail for defamation towards Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahb. The decision additionally includes a civil compensation of roughly USD$150,000 to the justice minister.
The decision follows a lawsuit filed in October by Justice Minister and former Secretary-Normal of the Authenticity and Modernity Occasion (PAM), Abdellatif Ouahbi. Ouahbi accused Mahdaoui of “spreading and distributing false claims and data to hurt the repute of people, together with defamation and public insults,” below articles 443, 444, and 446 of the Moroccan penal code.
The case facilities on a video by which Mahdaoui alleged that Ouahbi had acquired a luxurious automobile from a lady concerned in an energetic authorized case. Over the last session earlier than the case went into deliberation, the protection for the Minister of Justice requested the utmost penalty for Mahdaoui, together with a civil compensation declare of 10 million dirhams. The protection additionally referred to as for a monetary audit of the income generated by Mahdaoui’s non-public YouTube channel and requested that the proceeds be transferred, by courtroom order, to charitable organizations.
In his interview with Reuters after the decision, Mahdaoui maintained his innocence and expressed his hesitation in interesting the decision as a result of he was convicted regardless of “presenting all his arguments in his defence at courtroom.”
Moreover, the Moroccan Affiliation in Assist of Political Detainees, Hemam, criticized the ruling, describing it as unjust and stunning. They argued that it represented a victory for the highly effective occasion, referring to the Minister of Justice. The affiliation expressed astonishment on the courtroom’s resolution and emphasised that Mahdaoui’s trial was political.
Mahdaoui, the editor-in-chief of the Badil information web site, has confronted a number of authorized proceedings previously, notably related to his protection of the protests in the course of the Hirak Rif motion. In 2017, he was arrested on prices of “inciting demonstrations” after publishing experiences in regards to the protests in Al-Hoceima. Initially sentenced to a few months in jail, his sentence was later elevated to at least one yr.
As well as, one other courtroom in Casablanca issued a further ruling towards Mahdaoui on prices of “failing to report against the law threatening nationwide safety.” He was sentenced in 2018 to a few years in jail. The case stemmed from a cellphone dialog between Mahdaoui and a Moroccan residing overseas, throughout which the person allegedly claimed he would “deliver a tank into Morocco.” Human Rights Watch commented on the case, stating that it violated Mahdaoui’s proper to peaceable expression and prompt that it mirrored an abusive use of the legislation towards a candid journalist by authorities who’ve drastically restricted the house for important reporting and commentary.
Reporters Sans Frontières ranked Morocco 129th out of 180 nations in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
