A Moroccan was sent to prison for three years for impersonating King Mohammed VI’s brother on Facebook and fined 10,000 Dirhams ($1,304). Amnesty International says the sentence doesn’t fit the offense.
Recently, a 27-year-old computer engineer Fouad Mourtada was
arrested by putting the King’s brother’s picture in his Facebook profile. And now the Moroccan court has
sentenced him to three years in prison and fined him 10,000 Dirhams for the “use of false information and usurping the identity of the prince.”
Benedict Goderiaux, a member of the Amnesty International group examining human rights issues in Morocco and Western Sahara, attended the trial and was shocked at the severe verdict.
She said to Associated Press:
"The sentence is disproportionate to the offence,"
Goderiaux said Mourtada was not given a fair trial; his testimony was taken under a state of duress. His family also had said that he was beaten severely by the police in prison.
The prosecutor wanted the courts to punish Mourtada so that it will serve as an example for others. The defense argued their client was just having fun and in other places like United States, Canada and Europe such profiles are tolerated. The defense lawyer Ali Ammar said:
"On Facebook, you find sites (for) Sarkozy, Bush and Blair as well as sports stars and film stars without certifying that they are real,"
Mourtada said he set up the Facebook profile because he admired the Prince Moulay Rachid. He said:
"I admire him, I like him a lot and I have never caused him any wrong, it was just a joke. I am innocent."
A fine and probation would have been sufficient, in my opinion. On Facebook, I have seen profiles with pictures of popular stars including politicians. They plaster the King’s photo everywhere in the country but for some reason they bar them from appearing on Facebook.
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