New York-based international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Moroccan authorities on Friday to free Moroccan entrepreneur Soufiane al-Nguad, who is sentenced to two years in prison for a Facebook post. «Soufiane al-Nguad did nothing but express his anger and urge protests over the killing of an innocent woman», Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch Sarah Leah Whitson said. «The charges against him are illegitimate, and he should be freed immediately», Whitson added. 29-year-old Al-Nguad, who is the co-owner of a real estate agency, was sentenced by a court of first instance in Tetouan and fined 20,000 dirhams after protesting in a Facebook post against the death of a would-be migrant who was, mistakenly, shot by Morocco's Coast Guard. The man was accused of «inciting people to participate in an unauthorized protest». Soufiane al-Nguad was charged with «disobedience, incitement to disobedience, spreading hate, and insulting Morocco's flag and symbols». «This unfair conviction is just the latest illustration of Morocco's increasing intolerance of peaceful protest», Whitson said, adding : «Whenever social anger flares up, authorities promptly scapegoat and lock up activists who dared to challenge them, as a message meant to intimidate the public». For the record, Soufiane al-Nguad is appealing against the court's decision and the next hearing is scheduled for February the 11th.
