Moroccan YouTube Channel Owners Jailed for Defamation and Slander

The owner of the "bila houdoud" channel was sentenced to 18 months in prison. His co-defendant in the same case was sentenced to one year in prison. The court also ordered the two defendants to jointly pay a total sum of 680,000 to the plaintiffs in damages, at the rate of 400,000 dirhams to lawyer Abdellatif Bouachrine, 100,000 dirhams to plaintiff Mohamed Harouak and 180,000 to plaintiff Samira Daoudi. The court also ordered the seizure of all equipment and the closure of the channel that broadcasts videos on Youtube. The convicted persons will also have to ensure the publication of the verdict in a paper and an online newspaper, reports the site Hespress.

It all started with an outcry last August from the Moroccan Judges’ Club, which condemned the content of videos published by the "bila houdoud" channel for, in its opinion, "damaging the reputation of certain judges and preventing them from performing their duty." The Judges’ Club had described these practices as "criminal, punishable by sanctions and having no connection with professional and responsible journalism." The judges had decided to take their responsibilities so that these acts, which aim to terrorize them and prevent them from fully and freely exercising their constitutional functions and ensure the rule of law, would cease.

The club urged the judge to come down hard on those responsible for the channel, who only aim for buzz through defamatory content.