Moroccan activist sentenced to three years over new charges

Activists are shocked to discover that their comrade Saida Alami has been given a three-year sentence for her comments about a controversial case involving police brutality, Maghrebi has learnt.

A Casablanca court, with a rare sitting of 4 judges present, handed down the sentence in the early evening of 16th of September.

Maghrebi understands the new charges stem from Alami’s outspoken criticism of the death of Yassine Chabli, who died after being tortured in police custody in 2022.

Alami particularly condemned the handling of the case, accusing authorities of conducting a purposely rushed trial that allowed the police officers involved to either walk free or receive lenient sentences.

She referred to the officers as “murders,” remarks which prosecutors claimed defamed the police. Her official charges were “Insulting a regulatory body,” “Insulting the judiciary,” and “Publishing and broadcasting false allegations.”

Outside the court, an activist following the case expressed outrage over the verdict: “Saida was on trial in a case with no accusers and no damages. We were praying for acquittal, yet once again, the justice system is being used to destroy human rights activists. Absolutely disgusted”, he told Maghrebi.

Many fear Alami will not be granted a royal pardon as she was in previous cases, therefore forced to serve the full three-year sentence.

Despite this, Alami remains in good spirits, reportedly expecting the verdict. In her closing statement, she addressed the court directly:

“My struggle, Mr. President, is not a personal choice but a legal duty. I am fighting so that future generations will not live through the oppression we have suffered, and so that the violations that this nation has witnessed at various points in its history will not be repeated. I am firmly convinced that the Morocco of tomorrow, which we are building today through our struggle, our voices, and our determination, will be nothing less than a Morocco of dignity, democracy, and human rights, a Morocco worthy of its sons, one that protects their freedoms, and lays foundation for a just future.”

Alami has been subject to a lot of pressure from Moroccan activist since her arrest in 2022. As Maghrebi reported, while she was in custody she was even placed under constant surveillance in her cell, a measure her supporters condemned as harassment.

Alami was shortly after sentenced to two years in prison in April 2023, later increased to three, before being unexpectedly granted a royal pardon in July 2024. However, she was re-arrested in July 2025 on new charges, reigniting concerns from activists who see her case as a wider clampdown on dissent against the government.

Maghrebi