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Morocco jails YouTuber, detains journalist

December 27, 2019
A view of a court where Moroccan rapper Gnawi faces trial on charges of insulting the police, in Sale, Morocco, in this Nov. 25, 2019 file picture. — Courtesy photo
A view of a court where Moroccan rapper Gnawi faces trial on charges of insulting the police, in Sale, Morocco, in this Nov. 25, 2019 file picture. — Courtesy photo

RABAT — A Moroccan YouTuber was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison for "insulting the king" in a video broadcast on social networks, his lawyer said.

In a separate case, a Moroccan journalist and activist was charged and detained over a tweet that had criticized a court decision, his defense council said.

The cases come after the Moroccan Human Rights Association had deplored in July an "escalation of violations of human rights and public and individual freedoms" in Morocco.

The YouTuber Mohamed Sekkaki, known as "Moul Kaskita", was sentenced by a court in the western city of Settat to four years in prison, his lawyer Mohamed Ziane said.

Sekkaki, whose videos usually exceed 100,000 views, was arrested in early December after posting a video in which he insulted Moroccans as "donkeys" and criticized King Mohammed VI, who is considered "inviolable" under the constitution.

Ziani said his client would appeal the verdict.

The conviction of the YouTuber came less than a month after a Moroccan rapper was sentenced to a year in prison for "insulting a public official".

Also on Thursday, journalist Omar Radi, 33, was detained in Casablanca and now faces trial, his lawyer Said Benhammani said.

He is being prosecuted for a tweet published nine months ago criticizing the judge in charge of the case against the leaders of the Hirak protest movement, he said.

In the first hearing on Thursday, Radi's lawyers requested his conditional release, which the Casablanca court rejected.

The next hearing is set for Jan. 2.

Morocco's criminal code punishes "insulting magistrates" with imprisonment of between one month and one year.

The group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the decision to place the journalist "in detention for tweets from last April".

In its latest annual press freedom index, RSF ranked Morocco 135th out of 180 countries. — AFP


December 27, 2019
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