A Moroccan court has sentenced 22-year-old cartoonist Yasser Mounbir to four years in prison for caricatures of King Mohammed VI that he shared on Instagram, according to his lawyer.
Mounbir was also fined 40,000 Moroccan dirhams, equivalent to approximately Sh 527,800. His lawyer, Farouk Mehdaoui, said the defence plans to appeal the ruling.
The cartoonist was arrested in June and convicted of insulting the king and public officials. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights had called for his release.
Article 179 of Morocco’s Penal Code criminalises defamation, insult or infringement of the king’s private life, prescribing prison terms of six months to two years. The penalties may be doubled when the offence is committed electronically.
Rights advocates in Morocco have urged authorities to repeal laws they say restrict freedom of expression and to pardon people imprisoned over social media posts.
