Hamid Mahdaoui, director and editor-in-chief of Badil.info news website has received a three-month prison sentence and been ordered to pay MAD20,000 as a fine, reports Badil.info today. The ruling was pronounced on Tuesday morning by Al Hoceima's Court of First Instance. On the other hand, the judge dropped the charges of organizing an unauthorized march of the defendant and accused him of «encouraging an audience to commit misdemeanors through shouting in a public place», the same source indicated. The hearing lasted «15 continuous hours» according to the website. Mahdaoui was arrested by the police on Thursday 20th of July while he was in Al Hoceima to provide coverage of the demonstrations. Replying to the arrest, the US-based NGO Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged on Friday the Moroccan authorities to release Hamid Mahdaoui. «Moroccan authorities should release Hamid Mahdaoui and drop all charges against the journalist», said the CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program coordinator Sherif Mansour in a press release.
