" Morocco: A Draft Criminal Law To Penalize Social Media Users"

In January 2023, Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Wehbe, announced introducing stricter penalties in the new criminal law draft to punish individuals spreading fake news on social media...

Muhammad Zayan, the head of the Bar Association and former Minister of Human Rights, currently imprisoned based on a politically motivated trial, has deemed this “a violation of the constitution and the law,” ...

Minister Wehbe’s statement follows the previous government’s failure to enforce Law No. 22.20... This law faced strong resistance from social media users and human rights organizations, leading to its withdrawal...

... The bill aimed to enforce stringent regulations on social media users, including punitive measures that curtail individual freedoms....

They targeted individuals who intentionally advocated for boycotting specific products or services on social media platforms, public broadcasting networks, or similar mediums or those who publicly solicited others to participate in such boycotts...

the Moroccan government expressed its intention in May of last year to impose taxes on YouTube channel owners...

This decision has implications for activists and journalists who rely on YouTube to fund their media projects.

Despite the Minister of Justice’s announcement in January 2023 that these articles would be published during the next month, the government has been hesitant to release the texts.

This delay may result from concerns over potential protests that could erupt due to the issuance of legal provisions that restrict freedom of expression online and foster self-censorship among citizens...

previous governments faced obstacles in passing the “digital law” bill in 2013, following the successful “#electronic_disobedience” campaign that prevented its enactment. The subsequent Bill No. 22.20 faced similar challenges in 2020.