Moroccan YouTuber «Mi Naima» sentenced, barred from social media for a year

This week, the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Fez sentenced Moroccan YouTuber «Mi Naima Elbadawia» in a case involving defamation and the dissemination of «false claims» as well as violations of privacy through social media platforms.

The court handed her a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 dirhams. She was also banned from publishing content or appearing on social media platforms for one year starting from the date of the ruling, in addition to being ordered to pay civil compensation to the complainant.

In a separate case, the court also prosecuted the YouTuber alongside her daughter’s husband, sentencing both to one year of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 dirhams each, along with joint civil compensation.

The case stems from a complaint filed by a Moroccan residing in France, who accused the YouTuber of defamation and insults disseminated through digital platforms before the matter was brought before the courts.

The controversial content creator had previously faced legal proceedings, most notably in 2020, when she was sentenced to three months in prison after publishing a video denying the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraging violations of the state of health emergency.