Ten years of social media ban for a Moroccan "influencer

The court has handed down a sentence of three years’ imprisonment against the accused. A notable aspect of this judgment is that the conviction is accompanied by a ten-year ban on the use of social media. The defendant has a period of ten days to appeal this first-instance decision.

The hearing was the scene of lively exchanges between the prosecution and the defense. The deputy prosecutor of the King described the alleged acts as "odious", emphasizing the conservative nature of Moroccan society and the excesses related to the use of smartphones. He called for an exemplary conviction, considering that the accused had shown no remorse. The civil party, represented by the lawyer of a human rights association, supported this request, denouncing the dissemination of sequences that infringe on the modesty and privacy of others.

For its part, the defense pleaded mitigating circumstances, basing its strategy on the minority of the accused at the time of the alleged facts. His lawyer argued that her client had been the victim of exploitation by adults in a precarious family context, marked by the illness of his parents. The lawyer also raised procedural flaws, noting the absence of a digital expertise certifying that the incriminating videos, one of which lasts only 30 seconds, belonged to the accused or were managed by him.

Adam Benchakroun was prosecuted on several counts, including public indecency, insult, defamation against a woman, incitement to commit an offense, as well as the recording and dissemination of images of a person without their consent.