Fouad Mourtada pardoned by King Mohammed VI

2008-03-20

In a case which drew international media attention and support from the online community, the young Moroccan jailed for impersonating a member of the royal family on the internet has been released from prison. News of Fouad Mourtada's pardon delighted Moroccans, who for weeks had been waiting impatiently for this sort of response from the head of state.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 20/03/08

[Sarah Touahri] Fouad Mourtada was pardoned by King Mohammed VI on Tuesday (March 18th). Mourtada said the decision has given back his taste for life. He thanked his supporters and "all those who believe in freedom of speech around the world".

The young Moroccan engineer who was sentenced on February 22nd to three years in jail and fined 10,000 dirhams for posing as Prince Moulay Rachid on the social networking website Facebook has been pardoned by King Mohammed VI. The family of Fouad Mourtada confirmed his release from Oukacha prison in Casablanca on the evening of March 18th, adding that he was in good health and delighted to be free after spending 42 days behind bars.

"I’m very happy because I’ve received the royal pardon which has finally given me justice," Mourtada said at a press conference on Wednesday (March 19th). Grinning with relief, the 26-year-old added, "Thank you to everyone who supported me and fought for the truth to come out. That’s my family, friends, human rights associations and all those who believe in freedom of speech around the world."

Mourtada, who has maintained that the registration he made on the website was just a bit of fun, is now preparing to turn the page on this particular chapter of his life and return to his software engineering job for a multimedia company in Casablanca.

After Mourtada's release, his defence attorney Ali Amarr commented, "As a supporter of freedom of expression and human rights, I’ve welcomed the royal decision with huge satisfaction. But at the same time, I’m bitterly sorry at the role played by the courts in this matter."

News of Mourtada's pardon delighted Moroccans, who for weeks had been waiting impatiently for this sort of response from the head of state. "There’s no way you could be happier with the decision taken by King Mohammed VI," said trade unionist Mohamed Barachi, but while he considers the pardon to be an out-and-out victory for the human rights movement, he also perceives it as real blow to the Moroccan legal system.

"We would have liked for Mourtada to be cleared by the courts. Unfortunately, they were far from objective, handing down a sentence which was disproportionate to the facts of the case. It’s the image of our country which has been held up for criticism across the world when Morocco has been trying for years to send out a message of democracy and freedom," he argued.

Student Samira Zinabi said that after the harsh verdict was handed down against Fouad, she had been carefully following the national broadcast media. "I knew that the young engineer was not going to spend the best years of his life behind bars when he had committed no crime. Since the case involves the royal family, we needed the king to intervene, otherwise we were going to lose confidence in the democratisation process going on in the country," she said.

After Mourtada's arrest in early February, the case drew international media attention, human rights organisations condemned his incarceration and internet users from all around the world joined a campaign for his release. On March 1st, 150 Moroccan engineers and human rights activists protested the sentence outside the Mohammadia Engineering School in Rabat, from which the young engineer graduated in 2005.

Mourtada was one of 566 inmates released under pardons traditionally granted by King Mohammed VI each year on the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

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comments

ayouche Posted 2008-03-20

The poor man still has nothing. The King has pardoned you. He did not hive him justice. Then he spoke big words of “freedom of expression”. What freedom of expression!? He is speaking about someone who was pretending to be someone else. And he's an engineer...

Ali AIJJOU Posted 2008-03-20

Indeed, here is something to celebrate. However, Fouad Mourtada of the past will never be the Fouad Mourtada of the future. Even worse, this case confirms that Moroccans are living a double injustice: of both status and position. In his former status: Fouad had no right to recognition at all and, in his position today, he will forever be acknowledged by His Majesty, the King for his "freedom", or should I say his existence?! Fouad and his affair/slip up, have proven the duality of Moroccan law. There is law that is institutionally unfair and an unparalleled royal clemency. Yet, according to Article 32 of the constitution, the King presides over the High Council of Magistrates. According to Article 34, he exercises the right to pardon. And, between the two articles, Article 33 provides that by dahir (law) the King appoints magistrates, who, in Article 84, are to be proposed by the High Council of Magistrates. (Otherwise, His Majesty appoints whom he wants, under his own proposal.) In sum, the magistrates are appointed to blindly accord punishment and the King exercises the right to pardon. It should be noted that all people appointed by dahir enjoy the privilege of jurisdiction, otherwise known as royal immunity. Thus, they escape all controls and are not liable to communal jurisdictions, and, if special jurisdictions are otherwise created precisely for this purpose, their efforts will be void. This is just to guarantee their complete impunity, as they are no longer at all subject to justice. In short, Fouad Mourtada could now confuse the mailman with a MERDA (Agent of the special auxiliary forces). Any Moroccan who has passed through the Moroccans police’s hands knows this “syndrome”. “Paradoxical Morocco” is completely founded on these strong, contradictory dualities.

acharif moulay abdellah bouskraoui Posted 2008-03-21

We need to thank the king who pardoned him. Long live democracy!

Email address removed by the editor.

salima Posted 2008-03-21

Had they tried you Mortada, Morocco would have been at the bottom, in terms of freedom.

saidani miloudi Posted 2008-03-22

I would like to congratulate king Mohamed VI on His gesture of clemence.He is the Saviour of all wrongdoers on condition that they are devoted Moroccan citizens.So turn a new page of your facelook, dear Fouad and hug freedom under the shadow of our kingdom's democracy.

ازفاض Posted 2008-03-22

My brother Fouad, our king, our kingdom and and our people all understand every detail, whether large or small. The offence you talked about (ridiculous!), hopefully, my brother, you won’t repeat it. May God grant triumph to his majesty the king and assist him with the good and pardon him (Amen my Lord). Congratulations for the Alaouite pardon. Mohamed Azefad the son of Souss supports you. I was one of the protestors in Casablanca. Unfortunately, we were beaten by the police. This is an immoral attitude, we acted in solidarity with our brother. What is our guilt?

marocain de paris Posted 2008-03-24

Go to https://register.facebook.com/terms.php You were lucky that the King pardoned you. If I were him, I would have let you let you rot in a cell as an example to others.

Magharebia does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments.

مينة المغربية Posted 2008-03-26

Congratulations on the pardon Fouad, but Omar Daoud will never do the same because even if you were kidding, jokes shouldn’t touch the royal family. I am proud of our king, may God assist him, because he is always fair to Moroccans. Protect him for us. Long live King Mohamed VI.

حسناء Posted 2008-05-03

May God assist our commander Mohamed VI. Congratulations. Brother Mortada I hope that you won't make the same mistake again and I hope you benefit from the king's pardon.

محمد Posted 2008-07-12

Moroccan justice is lazy.

محمد Posted 2008-10-14

This is why the king pardoned Mourtada.

gol Posted 2009-01-07

Identity theft is a crime that is severely punished in France, yet, when it comes to Morocco, this crime becomes part of human rights and the freedom of expression!?! Soon, they will explain to us how rape and murder are also a form of the freedom of expression!!!

HICHAM Posted 2009-01-08

Hello everybody- I am looking for a website where I can write a letter of forgiveness to ask for a royal pardon from King Mohamed VI. If you have any information, I would be very pleased.

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