Saheed Bouquio, a Moroccan citizen, was sentenced to five years in prison after publicly criticizing the King of Morocco on the Internet following the normalization agreement with Israel.

Boquio's lawyer, El Hassan Assoni, told the media in Morocco that Boquio was sentenced to prison last Monday after a series of posts he published on the internet against the normalization agreements with Israel "in a way that could be interpreted as criticism of the king," according to him.

Israel and Morocco normalized their relations during the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020. The Moroccan constitution states that foreign policy issues are under the authority of King Mohammed VI, and cannot be challenged.

Lawyer Assoni added that Boquio published the posts in 2020, after the signing of the Abraham Accords, when he was living and working in Qatar. "Despite the posts in which he expressed distaste for relations with Israel, my client had no intention of harming the king. When he learned that he would be prosecuted in Morocco, he deleted the posts and closed his accounts on social networks. The verdict is harsh and incomprehensible," said lawyer Assoni.

The law in Morocco stipulates a prison sentence of six months to two years for anyone who criticizes King Mohammed VI, and the sentence can be extended up to five years in prison if the offense is committed in public and on electronic media.

Human rights organizations in Morocco criticized the court ruling and claimed that it was a violation of freedom of expression. "The wording of the law does not specify exactly what might constitute an attack on the monarchy," human rights organizations said in a statement.

Source: Israel National News