Morocco tightens digital laws with prison sentences for critics
Morocco is tightening its digital laws with recent prison sentences for social media critics.
According to government friendly Atalayar, the firm stance comes as Morocco aims to confront those who are attacking the country’s image and hindering its foreign relations using social networks.
This strategy was implemented on March 24, when the Court of First Instance in Khouribga sentenced Mohamed Boustati to one year in prison.
Boustati, a member of the Islamist opposition group Al Adl Wal Ihsan, was sentenced for defamation after he posted on Facebook about the war in Gaza in a way that was interpreted as an attack on Saudi institutions and symbols—a sensitive issue given Morocco’s strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia.
Al Adl Wal Ihsan is Morocco’s most prominent opposition organisation and a banned group. The group also supports the Palestinian organisation Hamas.
This is not the only such case in Morocco. On March 3, prominent activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, a member of Human Rights Watch (HRW), was sentenced for criticizing relations between Rabat and Paris.
These jailings of opposition figures do not appear to align with Morocco’s stated goal of fighting fake news and defamation. With sentencing only targeting the opposition or those who criticize the Kingdom, the digital crackdown appears aimed at suppressing opposing opinions.
Yet Morocco argues it is enacting legal reforms to secure its digital space. Justice Minister Abdellatif Wahbi announced new cybercrime laws aimed at balancing digital rights and communication freedoms.
The reforms address challenges like e-fraud, fake news, and online defamation amid rapid technological growth.
While Morocco aims to fight digital fraud, defamation, and crime, there are concerns that these laws could be used to wrongfully convict citizens. The arrests of Boustati and Abdelmoumni specifically call into question whether defamation and fake news are the true reasons behind these sentences and new laws.
Atalayar, Maghrebi.org
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