A Moroccan activist who criticised the government’s response to the 2023 El Haouz earthquake was sentenced to three months in prison on Monday for defamation, his legal team revealed.
Said Ait Mahdi, the leader of a victims’ advocacy group for those impacted by the earthquake, has been detained since December 23. He faced charges of “defamation, insult, and publishing false allegations intended to infringe on privacy.”
Three additional group members were charged with “insulting public officials.” However, according to lawyer Mohamed Nouini, the Marrakesh Court of First Instance acquitted them while sentencing Ait Mahdi to three months in prison.
Ait Mahdi was also ordered to pay damages of 10,000 dirhams ($1,000) to each of the civil complainants. Nouini stated that his client intends to appeal the ruling.
The charges stemmed from complaints filed by local officials who alleged that social media posts made by Ait Mahdi contained offensive remarks, the lawyer explained.
El Haouz province, located south of Marrakesh, bore the brunt of the devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake in September 2023. The disaster claimed nearly 3,000 lives, injured 5,600, and left around 60,000 homes in the High Atlas mountains destroyed. Many families were forced to endure the winter living in tents.
Ait Mahdi’s group has actively campaigned for more rapid reconstruction and increased aid for affected communities.
In December, Moroccan authorities reported issuing 57,000 reconstruction permits, with over 35,000 homes rebuilt or under construction. The government has also allocated $11 billion to a five-year reconstruction and development initiative for the six provinces affected by the earthquake.
