A Moroccan computer engineer has been sentenced to prison for three years for creating a phony Facebook profile that impersonated a member of the country’s royal family.
The sentence was handed down on Friday by a court in Casablanca, which found the 26 year old, Fouad Mourtada guilty of “usurping the identity of of HRH Prince Moulay Rachid.” The court also fined Mourtada $1,300.
Facebook Prank
Gone Wrong
Amnesty International condemned the sentence saying, ” The sentence is disproportionate to the offense,” a member of the human rights group told the AFP. Amnesty also questioned the trials fairness because the prosecutor and the judge criticized Mourtada for “having undermined the sacred integrity of the realm as represented by the prince.”
The prosecutor in the case insisted Mourtada’s punishment act as an “example” and the defense argued its client created the Facebook profile for fun and pointed to similar cases in the United States, Canada, and Europe that did not go to trial.
“On Facebook, you find sites (for) Sarkozy, Bush and Blair as well as sports stars and film stars without certifying that they are real,” his lawyer Ali Ammar said.
Mourtada says he created the Facebook profile under the name of Prince Moulay Rachid because, ” I admire him, I like him a lot and I have never caused him any wrong, it was just a joke. I am innocent.”
Currently there are 20 different results on Facebook for Prince Moulay Rachid.
