Moroccan journalist sentenced to 1.5 years after remarks about politician

Associated Press

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan journalist who accused a prominent politician of fraud was sentenced prison for defamation on Monday in a case that has sparked international criticism from press freedom advocates. Hamid Mahdaoui will serve a 1.5 year sentence and be fined an equivalent of $150,000 after being found guilty for defamation, his attorney Mohamed Hedach told The Associated Press. Mahdaoui, the editor in chief of Badil.info, was prosecuted after a complaint from Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi. Mahdaoui had posted a video on his website accusing Ouahbi of corruption and fraud, both of which the justice minister denied.