Earlier this month, on August 2, a court in the small central-Moroccan city of Ouarzazate gave writer and philosophy professor Aziz Benhaddouch a two-month suspended sentence and a fine of 1,000 dirhams, with an additional 20,000 in reparations, on charges of “libel and defamation”:
An initial complaint against the novel was filed in early 2015, apparently by fellow townspeople who felt the book was about them, although Benhaddouch denied basing his novel on real-world characters, according to reports in Telquel and CNN.
Benhadouch lives in Taznakht, a small town near Ouarzazate.
The Middle East Monitor reported that two NGOs, the Media and Expression Liberties Organisation and House of Wisdom, “criticised the prosecution in separate statements, calling it a ‘crackdown on freedom of expression and creativity.'”
According to ArtsFreedom, Benhadouch said in a statement that “this is the first conviction of its kind against a novelist in the history of Morocco,” and felt that this decision — using press law — could set a precedent to be used against other artists.
The author, who is also a philosophy professor, is reportedly currently in Agadir, appealing the ruling.