Moroccan Gets Three-Year Jail Term For Criticising King

28Nov 2023 by 247acemedia

Moroccan Gets Three-Year Jail Term For Criticising King

A Moroccan Appeal court on Monday sentenced a man to three years in prison for insulting King Mohammed VI in social media posts, criticising normalisation with Israel, the defence attorney said. Said Boukioud, 48, was initially sentenced in August to five years for Facebook posts in late 2020. The court in Casablanca reduced the sentence to three years, lawyer El Hassan Essouni told AFP. He said he planned to appeal to the North African country's top court, calling the ruling "very excessive". Essouni said his client "never had" the intention to offend the king but "wanted to draw attention to the fact that normalisation was not good for Moroccans, nor for the Palestinian cause, nor for anyone." Morocco and Israel normalised diplomatic relations in December 2020 as part of…

12Sep 2023 by 247acemedia

Estranged Neighbours Algeria Offer Aid to Morocco

News, Politics

Algeria is offering Morocco 80 specialised rescue workers from its Civil Protection forces to help the country with its relief efforts following Friday’s deadly earthquake. The package of help includes a canine unit, medical personnel as well as emergency supplies in the form of tents, beds and blankets, a government spokesperson has said. Algeria had already said they would open their air space to flights carrying humanitarian aid, despite cutting off relations with Morocco two years ago. The two nations have a long history of tension, tied to the countries' competing claims over the disputed Western Sahara.

09Sep 2023 by 247acemedia

Morocco Earthquake: 820 Killed AS Buildings Damaged

News

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has struck central Morocco, killing at least 820 people, the country's interior ministry says. The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, at a depth of 18.5km, the US Geological Survey said. The quake struck at 23:11 local time (22:11 GMT) on Friday. There was a 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later. People died in Marrakesh and several areas to the south, the ministry said. Many of the victims are believed to be in remote areas. The interior ministry said the earthquake killed people in the provinces and municipalities of al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant, adding that more than 600 people have been injured. Many people spent the night out in the open as the Moroccan…

03Aug 2023 by 247acemedia

Moroccan Jailed For Criticising King On Facebook

News, Politics

The lawyer for a Moroccan man accused of criticising the country's king on social media has told journalists his client has been sentenced to five years in prison. Said Boukioud was charged with "undermining the monarchy" for comments he posted on Facebook in 2020 criticising Morocco's normalisation of ties with Israel. He was living in Qatar at the time. The Moroccan constitution stipulates that foreign affairs are the responsibility of King Mohammed VI and any comments that appear to question his authority are severely penalised. Mr Boukioud's lawyer, El Hassan Essouni, described the sentence as "harsh and incomprehensible" and said his client would appeal. Credit || BBC Africa

Tag: morocco