This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
On November 25, 2019, a Moroccan court handed down a one-year jail sentence to rapper Mohamed Mounir, also known as Gnawi, for insulting police on social media.
The court in Sale, near the capital Rabat, found Gnawi guilty of "insulting a public servant," a reference to the police, and fined him 1,000 dirhams ($103).
Gnawi's lawyer believes his client was prosecuted because of a song he co-wrote about the hardships of young people in Morocco, unemployment, and corruption.
The song, "Aach al Chaab," which means "long live the people," has been viewed more than 15 million times on YouTube since its release last month.
According to local media, the song's lyrics denounce injustice and money-grabbing and attack Morocco's king directly, constituting a clear breach of the kingdom's "red lines."
However, Gnawi claimed he had insulted the police in a video posted on his Instagram account because he had been "humiliated" by them.
"I am an artist. My job is to defend my rights and the rights of the people. It was not the first time that I had been humiliated by the police," Gnawi told the court.
"Since I was born, I have been humiliated," he added.
Amnesty International condemned the verdict, stating that there can be no justification for imprisoning Gnawi for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
"International law protects the right to freedom of expression - even when the opinions shared are shocking or offensive," said Amnesty's Middle East director Heba Morayef.
