A Moroccan activist, Said Ait Mahdi, who criticized the government’s response to the devastating 2023 El Haouz earthquake, was sentenced to three months in prison on Monday for defamation, according to his legal team.
Ait Mahdi, leader of a group advocating for victims of the earthquake, has been detained since December 23. He faced charges of “defamation, insult, and publishing false allegations aimed at infringing on privacy.” Three other members of the group were accused of “insulting public officials” but were acquitted by the Court of First Instance in Marrakech, said their lawyer, Mohamed Nouini.
In addition to the prison sentence, Ait Mahdi was ordered to pay damages of 10,000 dirhams ($1,000) to each of the civil parties. His lawyer stated that the charges stemmed from complaints by local officials over social media posts they deemed offensive. Ait Mahdi plans to appeal the verdict.
The El Haouz province, located south of Marrakech, was one of the hardest-hit regions in the September 2023 earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 6.8. The disaster claimed nearly 3,000 lives, injured 5,600 people, and destroyed approximately 60,000 homes in the High Atlas mountains, leaving many families to endure winter in tents.
Ait Mahdi’s group has been actively campaigning for faster reconstruction efforts and increased aid for the affected communities. Moroccan authorities announced in December that 57,000 reconstruction permits had been issued and that over 35,000 homes had been rebuilt or were under construction. The government has committed to an $11 billion, five-year plan for the reconstruction and development of the six provinces impacted by the disaster.
