Fatima Karim, 39, was continued for having commented satirically, on his Facebook page, verses from the Koran and the Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad.
Le Monde with AFP
Moroccan justice confirmed on appeal on Tuesday, September 13, a heavy prison sentence for an internet user accused of “attack on the Muslim religion” after having published on Facebook writings deemed offensive, we learned with La Défense. “The Khouribga Court of Appeal sentenced to two years in prison Farima Karim, confirming the judgment at first instance,” his lawyer, Habib Aadi, told AFP. “It is a very hard verdict,” he deplored, adding that the cassation appeal is “still under study”.
In detention since mid-July, Fatima Karim, 39, was continued for having commented in a satirical tone in Arabic language, on his Facebook page, verses from the Koran and the Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad, considered sacred in the Muslim tradition.
The Moroccan surfer had been sentenced on August 15 to two years in prison for “attacking religion by electronic means” by the Court of First Instance of Oued Zem, 150 km from Casablanca. The appeal trial was opened on September 6, before being immediately adjourned so that the accused could appear before the court.
Fatima Karim asserted his right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Moroccan Constitution. She also publicly apologized to “anyone who felt offended” by her publications, ensuring that she had never intended to undermine Islam, state religion in Morocco.
The proceedings were triggered by the prosecution. Article 267-5 of the Criminal Code, under which Fatima Karim was sentenced, punished from six months to two years in prison “anyone who undermines the Muslim religion”. The penalty is likely to be brought to five years’ imprisonment if the offense is committed in public, “including electronically”. Human rights defenders denounce this law which hinders freedom of expression and whose formulation “does not concretely specify the facts which could constitute an attack”.
In June 2021, an Italo-Moroccan had been sentenced to three and a half years in prison, also for “attack on the Muslim religion”, after having published satirical sentences on Facebook imitating verses from the Koran. The young woman had been released shortly after, her sentence having been reduced on appeal to two months suspended prison sentence following a protest campaign of human rights defenders.