A young man from El Jadida has been sentenced to ten months in prison after appearing in a video on social media in which he threatened public authorities and incited violence. The El Jadida Court issued the ruling based on serious charges related to “threatening to commit crimes against individuals” and “inciting violence and disturbing public order.”
The court ordered the public prosecutor at the Appeals Court to place the accused in Sidi Moussa prison in El Jadida to serve his sentence.
The accused, a resident of Douar Rwahla in El Jadida, made his statements during an interview with a local news outlet on the night of October 1, in the context of riots that erupted in several Moroccan cities. He identified himself as a human rights activist and one of the organizers of the protests before issuing threats to the authorities and giving them a month to meet the protesters’ demands.
The following day, the young man appeared to apologize for his earlier remarks, stating that he did not fully understand what he was saying. However, the authorities decided to arrest him and pursue charges in light of the seriousness of his statements, despite pleas from his family to consider his mental state.
This ruling reflects the Moroccan judiciary’s strictness in confronting threats and incitements to violence, affirming that freedom of expression is subject to the limits of law and public order.
