Human Rights Watch Urges Morocco to Drop Charges Against Activist for Criticizing King

On provisional release, Al Ablaq had been prosecuted for "addressing King Mohammed VI in an offensive tone, by comparing his personal wealth to poverty in Morocco," wondering if his fortune is the result of the "plunder" of Moroccans. The court of first instance in Al Hoceima is expected to sentence him next Monday to a sentence that could go up to four years in prison, reports EFE.

"This is a blatant violation of freedom of expression. There is no more fundamental right than the right to criticize those in power, even if it is a monarch," says Eric Goldstein, deputy director of HRW for the Middle East and North Africa, in a note. And he adds: "Morocco should stop prosecuting critics like Al Ablaq on the basis of what is, in fact, a crime of lese-majesty."

Al Ablaq, 35, was one of the main activists of the Hirak movement in the Rif. The activist was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2017 for "defamation" and "usurpation of the title of journalist," after some publications on his social networks, in support of the popular uprisings in the city of Al Hoceima. In 2020, he obtained a royal pardon and was released after several hunger strikes in prison.

In total, more than 800 Rif activists have been tried for their participation in these demonstrations that lasted nearly a year and more than 400 of them have been sentenced to various prison terms. Almost all have finished serving their sentence or have been pardoned by King Mohammed VI. But the main leaders of this movement are still in detention.