A Moroccan appeals court has extended the prison sentence of activist Said Ait Mahdi to one year, up from the initial three-month term he received for defamation, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Ait Mahdi, who leads a group advocating for victims of Morocco’s 2023 earthquake, has been detained since December 23 after criticising the government’s response to the disaster. In January, a Marrakesh court sentenced him to three months for defamation, insult, and publishing false allegations aimed at infringing on privacy.
However, the appeals court in Marrakesh toughened the sentence to a full year, a move that lawyer Mohamed El Ghalloussi described as very harsh and shocking.
Three other defendants, who were initially acquitted, were each sentenced to four months in jail for insulting public officials. Ghalloussi said the case stemmed from complaints by local officials over social media posts they found offensive.
El Haouz province, one of the areas hardest hit by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake in September 2023, suffered extensive damage, with nearly 3,000 deaths, 5,600 injuries, and the destruction of around 60,000 homes. Many families have been forced to endure the winter in tents.
Ait Mahdi’s group has been pressing for swifter reconstruction efforts and more aid for displaced residents. The Moroccan government announced in December that it had issued 57,000 reconstruction permits and that more than 35,000 homes had been built or were under construction. Authorities have allocated $11 billion for a five-year reconstruction and development plan covering the six affected provinces.
