Overview
- The court confirmed a two-and-a-half-year prison term and roughly €5,000 fine under Penal Code article 267-5, which criminalizes offenses to the Muslim religion, for Ibtissame Lachgar’s late-July social post.
- Prosecutors had sought a harsher penalty, arguing the case involved public order and the spiritual tranquility of Moroccans, but judges upheld the initial sentence.
- Defense lawyer Ghizlane Mamouni said she will seek an adjustment converting the prison term to an alternative sanction such as electronic monitoring or community service, alongside a filing to the Court of Cassation.
- Rights advocates, including the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, condemned the verdict as a setback for freedom of expression.
- Lachgar, a 50-year-old clinical psychologist and co-founder of MALI, appeared weakened from cancer treatment and faces an arm operation, with her lawyers warning detention could worsen her health after the post drew online threats of rape and stoning.