A Benslimane court sentenced three defendants on Monday to a combined 10 years in prison over a viral video showing a six-year-old child being encouraged to consume a substance suspected of being alcohol.
The Court of First Instance in Benslimane sentenced the main defendant, identified by initials A.A., to four years in prison. He had been prosecuted on charges including complicity in intentional harm, complicity in intentional harm against a child under 15 by a person with authority over him, and failure to assist a person in danger.
The second defendant received three and a half years in prison, while the third was sentenced to three years.
The court also awarded the child-protection organization Matkich Waldi a symbolic one dirham in civil damages.
Lawyer Hicham Harthoun, representing the organization, described the ruling as deterrent but said the group would appeal and continue following the case until a final judgment is issued.
The case sparked public outrage after the video circulated widely on social media. Police later identified and arrested three brothers who appeared in the footage with their six-year-old nephew.
The investigation was handled by the National Judicial Police Brigade under the supervision of the public prosecutor.
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