A court in the city of Khouribga sentenced, Monday, activist and member of the Justice and Spirituality Group (Al Adl Wal Ihsan), Mohamed Boustati, to one year in prison on charges of defamation. This verdict came after he posted comments on his Facebook account about the war in Gaza, which were deemed «offensive» to Saudi Arabia. In a statement, lawyer Mohamed Nouini explained that the trial was based on a complaint filed by Saudi intelligence services «regarding posts they considered offensive to Saudi institutions and symbols». He added that the posts under investigation involved «general political» criticisms of the stances of some Arab countries towards the war in Gaza and normalization with Israel, without providing details on the content of these posts. The lawyer also noted that the defendant «denied some of the accusations and stated that his Facebook account had been hacked». Nevertheless, the court ruled that the posts in question amounted to «defamation». On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, members of the National Brigade arrested Mohamed Boustati at his workplace in the city of Settat, and he was transferred overnight to Khouribga. He was presented before the public prosecutor of the same city on Friday, February 28, 2025, and was prosecuted in custody.
