Morocco’s Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi lashed out on Monday in Parliament against online harassement, following the smear campaign targeting national player Zakaria Aboukhlal.
Although the new criminal code is still undergoing amendements within the Ministry, the official reminded that “Article 447 sanctions these acts of defamation online,” describing the acts as shameful.
Speaking at the weekly plenary session of oral questions in the House of Representatives, the Minister recalled that individuals involved in defamation online will be severely punished by law, as part of the reform of the penal code, which will be ready by the end of this month.
Ouahbi indicated that this kind of content published in particular on social media is not covered by the press code but by the criminal code, with the accused being at risk of prison sentences.
The Minister highlighted a case that the Court of Cassation just spoke on, who ruled that it was the penal code that should be applied in these cases.
Regarding accusations against Aboukhlal, Ouahbi downplayed the claims, saying: “We must not pay attention to this gibberish. There are some parties that aim to harm the image of the national team who honored Morocco, these players are well above the uproar of a newspaper that has no value,” he concluded.
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