Former Moroccan Human Rights Minister Mohamed Ziane was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday in a corruption case, which his lawyer described as retaliation for his outspoken defense of political prisoners. The appeals court in Rabat delivered the verdict after an 81-year-old Ziane, known for his fiery rhetoric, chose to remain silent in protest during the hearing.
Ziane, along with two colleagues, was earlier found guilty of corruption and embezzlement related to Morocco’s 2015 election campaign. His son and lawyer, Ali Reda Ziane, vehemently denied the charges, criticizing the court for not following standard procedures and rejecting all 17 appeals made by the defense.
Ali Reda Ziane also connected the trial to his father’s defense of journalists and activists who had been prosecuted for criticizing the government. He argued that the case demonstrated a crackdown on free expression in Morocco.
This verdict is part of a broader pattern of freedom of expression cases that have drawn international criticism. In 2022, Ziane was sentenced to three years for 11 charges, including defamation and sexual harassment. Human rights organizations, like the Moroccan Association In Support of Political Prisoners, have condemned the charges as politically motivated.
Ziane was featured in a 2022 Human Rights Watch report highlighting Morocco’s increasing repression of government critics. The report noted the prosecution of journalists and activists for non-speech-related crimes. The Moroccan government dismissed the report as biased and did not comment on Ziane’s sentencing.
Amnesty International also criticized Ziane’s legal troubles as baseless and linked them to his work defending human rights activists and journalists. Ziane’s notable clients included Taoufik Bouachrine, an editor sentenced to 15 years for human trafficking, and Nasser Zefzafi, an activist serving a 20-year sentence for leading anti-government protests.
Ziane’s activism and defense of such figures followed his resignation as Morocco’s Human Rights Minister and a career as a dissenting voice against the government.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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