DR ‹ › On Monday, December 29, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi expressed regret over his previous opposition to Bill No. 22.20, which sought to restrict social media, initially proposed in April 2020 by his predecessor, Mohamed Ben Abdelkader (USFP). This legislative measure had been approved by the government led by Saad-Eddine El Othmani (PJD) but eventually vanished from the government's agenda. In a candid admission, the minister acknowledged his oversight, emphasizing that social media platforms have become breeding grounds for defamation and misconduct. Abdellatif Ouahbi argued that addressing defamation requires, above all, the elimination of «hypocrisy», pointing out that «some defend insults and defamation under the guise of protecting freedom of expression». «We need a law to severely penalize these practices. Without it, this legal vacuum will continue to be exploited for defamation. Legislation is the only solution to this issue», declared the Justice Minister, responding to an oral question from the PPS parliamentary group. Abdellatif Ouahbi has already vowed to tackle the transgressions occurring on social media platforms. «The solution is to enact provisions in the penal code to punish these acts with years of imprisonment. We will put an end to what is happening on TikTok and YouTube, such as filming people's private lives without their consent», he clarified during an interview with channel 2M in September 2024. He reiterated this stance in December 2022 at the House of Representatives, promising to address defamation on social networks and websites with «strict» measures. «The dignity of individuals and their private lives are sacred and inviolable», he emphasized. «In the upcoming Penal Code, there will be severe penalties for those who share photos via WhatsApp or Facebook, and for those who are not journalists but use web pages or YouTube to invade individuals' private lives», he further pledged. Bill 22.20, introduced in April 2020, aimed to regulate social media and included a provision in Article 14 for a «sentence of 6 months to 3 years in prison» along with a fine ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 dirhams for anyone who «calls for a boycott of certain products, goods, or services or publicly incites it through social networks or open broadcast networks».
