Four activists advocating for victims of Morocco’s devastating 2023 earthquake appeared in court on Monday, facing charges of defamation and insulting public officials.
Said Ait Mahdi, leader of the Al Haouz Earthquake Victims Coordination, remains in custody, accused of defamation, insulting public officials, and spreading false information through social media posts that criticized the government’s disaster response.
The remaining three activists, who also face charges of insulting public officials, have been released pending trial.
The September 2023 earthquake, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives and destroyed tens of thousands of homes in the High Atlas mountains, left many families in dire need of assistance. Ait Mahdi’s group has been vocal in demanding accelerated reconstruction efforts.
So far, Moroccan authorities have issued over 57,000 reconstruction permits and allocated $740 million for rebuilding homes in the affected areas.
