A Moroccan blogger sentenced to two years in prison for offending Islam

Moroccan blogger Fatima Karim was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison for “attacking Islam.”

Fatima, a 39-year-old Oued Zem native, is accused of mocking verses of the Quran on her Facebook page. Her brother Bouazza Karim told AFP in a statement that his sister will definitely appeal this decision.

“This verdict is very severe. It sends us back years,” he added.

Article 267-5 of the Moroccan Penal Code, under which Fatima Karim was sentenced, punishes “anyone who undermines the Muslim religion” with six months to two years in prison.

The blogger has decided to exercise the freedom of speech right under Morocco’s constitution before a judge, her brother added to AFP.
She also publicly apologized to “anyone who was offended by her post” and said she had no intention of undermining Morocco’s state religion, Islam.

The sentence of imprisonment was pronounced Monday by the court of the first instance of Oued Zem, 150 km from Casablanca, according to the same source.

The prosecution was initiated by the public prosecutor. The penalty can be increased to five years’ imprisonment if the offense is committed in public, which includes social media.

The same article (267-5) severely punishes “incitement to undermine the territorial integrity” and safety of the kingdom.

Activists in Morocco denounce the law as a barrier to freedom of expression, which “does not concretely specify the facts that could constitute an infringement.”