The lawyer of Moroccan cartoonist Yasser Mounbeer said on Sunday that the judiciary had sentenced his client to four years in prison over drawings he published on Instagram, after convicting him of “insulting the king” and “insulting public officials.” The Moroccan Association for Human Rights called for his release and the prosecution to be dropped. Human rights activists in the Kingdom are demanding the abolition of prison sentences in cases of expression and publishing.

Published on: 01/11/2026 - 17:46 Last updated: 01/11/2026 - 17:49

A Moroccan court sentenced cartoonist Yasser Mounbeer to four years in prison over drawings he posted on Instagram, after convicting him of “insulting the king” and “insulting public officials,” according to what his lawyer announced on Sunday.

Lawyer Farouk Mahdaoui, a member of the defense team, said that the Court of First Instance in Casablanca sentenced Minbir, 22 years old, to four years in prison and a fine of 40,000 dirhams (about four thousand dollars), adding that he would appeal the ruling.

Menbeir was arrested on June 17, and the Public Prosecution decided to prosecute him on charges of “insulting a constitutional institution by electronic means” and insulting public officials, against the backdrop of drawings that were considered offensive to King Mohammed VI, according to what a source from the Public Prosecution had previously reported to Agence France-Presse.

Read also: Morocco: A cartoonist is tried over drawings deemed insulting to the king

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights called for his release and the dropping of the prosecution that came after he published caricatures of the king on his Instagram account.

Chapter 179 of the Moroccan Penal Code criminalizes “defamation, insults, or harming the private life of a person of the king,” and stipulates prison sentences ranging from six months to two years, with the possibility of doubling them if these violations are committed by electronic means.

Human rights activists are calling for the abolition of prison sentences in cases of expression and publishing, while Morocco has witnessed, in recent years, several prosecutions for posts on social media sites that were deemed offensive.

France 24/AFP

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