Moroccan Singer Dounia Batma’s Appeal Verdict in ’Hamza mon bb’ Case Set for January 20

At the end of a hearing that lasted 5 hours, Sophia Chakiri’s lawyer, sentenced in the first instance to 10 months in prison, announced that the verdict of the appeal trial will be handed down after January 20.

On July 30, the 4 defendants were found guilty of the facts charged against them and sentenced to prison terms. They were placed in the local prison l’Oudaya in Marrakech, with the exception of Dounia Batma who was prosecuted while at liberty. The singer had also been exempted from appearing at the hearings because she was pregnant.

The accused are being prosecuted in the Hamza mon bb case, each for their part, for "participation in fraudulent access to the computer data system, deliberate participation in obstructing the functioning of this system, dissemination of images and statements of others without consent, dissemination of unfounded facts in order to harm the privacy of individuals and defamation".