Moroccan Blogger, Internet Cafe Owner, Sentenced

On Monday, December 14, Moroccan blogger Bashir Hazzam (also spelled Hazem, Hazzem) and Internet cafe owner Abdullah Boukhou were sentenced, to four months and one year, respectively, in a Goulmim court. Hazzam was sentenced for “spreading false information harmful to the kingdom's image on human rights,” while Boukhou's sentence was for similar reasons and likely included a charge for providing a space for dissident activities.

Reporters Without Borders condemned the sentences, stating that, “Bashir Hazzam and Abdullah Boukhou have not committed any illegal act. Bashir Hazzam has only posted a statement released on the crackdown by the police during student demonstrations in Tarjijt, 200km south of Agadi. Abdullah Boukhou is accused of having sent information and photos on these events. Instead of throwing these innocent people in prison, the authorities would do better to investigate abuses committed by local security services.”

6 comments

  • thank you Jillian

    and thanks to all GV Advoracy contributors

  • You’re welcome! We just bought freebashir.org and are working to get something up quickly to help aggregate info in French/English/Arabic in one spot.

  • […] Global Voices Online: On Monday, December 14, Moroccan blogger Bashir Hazzam (also spelled Hazem, Hazzem) and Internet cafe owner Abdullah Boukhou were sentenced, to four months and one year, respectively, in a Goulmim court. Hazzam was sentenced for “spreading false information harmful to the kingdom’s image on human rights,” while Boukhou’s sentence was for similar reasons and likely included a charge for providing a space for dissident activities. […]

  • […] Moroccan Blogger, Internet Cafe Owner, Sentenced (advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org) […]

  • […] Morocco has long been considered a relatively safe place for bloggers and journalists. It is no longer the case. While some major independent printed media has been shut down and journalists persecuted, forced to exile and often maliciously defamed, bloggers have been harassed, threatened and in some cases jailed for their writings. […]

  • […] Global Voices Online: On Monday, December 14, Moroccan blogger Bashir Hazzam (also spelled Hazem, Hazzem) and Internet cafe owner Abdullah Boukhou were sentenced, to four months and one year, respectively, in a Goulmim court. Hazzam was sentenced for “spreading false information harmful to the kingdom’s image on human rights,” while Boukhou’s sentence was for similar reasons and likely included a charge for providing a space for dissident activities. […]

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