Prominent journalist jailed again

The Rabat Court of First Instance has sentenced journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui to 18 months in prison for defaming Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahb. The verdict also includes a $150 000 fine. The verdict follows a lawsuit filed in October by the Minister and former secretary-general of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Abdellatif Ouahbi. The Jurist reports that Ouahbi accused Mahdaoui of ‘spreading and distributing false claims and information to harm the reputation of individuals, along with defamation and public insults,’ under articles 443, 444, and 446 of the Moroccan penal code. The case centres on a video in which Mahdaoui alleged that Ouahbi had received a luxury car from a woman involved in an legal case. The Moroccan Association in Support of Political Detainees described the ruling as unjust. Mahdaoui, the editor-in-chief of the Badil news website, has faced several legal proceedings in the past, particularly related to his coverage of the protests during the Hirak Rif movement. In 2017, he was arrested on charges of ‘inciting demonstrations’ after publishing reports about the protests in Al-Hoceima. Initially sentenced to three months in prison, his sentence was later increased to one year.