Moroccan King Pardons Facebook Influencer Jailed for Sharing Royal Photos

After eight months in prison, Soufiane El Bahri is free. He is one of the 637 people sentenced by various Moroccan courts to whom King Mohammed VI granted his pardon on the occasion of the commemoration of the presentation of the Manifesto of Independence, celebrated on Tuesday, January 11. The influencer announced the good news on his Facebook page.

Administrator of a Facebook page that reposts private photos of King Mohammed VI, Soufiane El Bahri was arrested by police from the Sidi Moussa district near a restaurant in the Marina of Bouregreg in May 2021, then placed in detention at the Al Arjat prison. He was prosecuted for "public drunkenness, disturbance of public order and humiliation and insults on officials during the exercise of their duties". He had caused disturbances in public places while under the influence of alcohol.

The Court of First Instance of Salé had sentenced him to one year in prison with a fine of 500 DH on June 17, 2021.