Morocco hands ex-minister 3-year prison term

Mohamed Ziane, the lawyer of Moroccan newspaper publisher and journalist Taoufiq Bouachrine, arrives at the courthouse on 5 April 2018, in Casablanca [FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images]

The Court of First Instance in Rabat yesterday sentenced former Minister of Human Rights, Mohamed Ziane, to three years in prison after finding him guilty of 11 charges, local media outlets reported.

The court also ordered the lawyer and previous head of the Moroccan Bar Association to pay a 5,000 dirham ($500) fine.

The court said it found Ziane guilty on 11 charges including “insulting the judiciary and public officials”, “insulting organised bodies”, “contempt of judicial decisions” as well as “defaming people on social media” and “setting a bad example for children as a result of misbehaviour.”

In January 2021, the Ministry of Interior filed a complaint against the former minister for insulting national security institutions.

Last year, Ziane accused the General Directorate of National Security (DGST) of leaking an inappropriate video of him in a compromising situation with a married policewoman.

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