Rabat – Moroccan courts have prosecuted 65,352 individuals for violating the state of emergency since the law for its enforcement entered into force, announced the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office yesterday.
The legal proceedings fall within the framework of Law 2.20.292 on the provisions relating to the state of emergency, the office said in a press release. Of the thousands who faced charges, Morocco detained 3,106 until their day in court.
The 3,106 detained individuals represent 4.75% of all the individuals subject to prosecution, while the rate of provisional release prosecutions is approximately 95%.
The decisions to detain the 3,016 individuals mainly followed the suspects’ other alleged infractions, including robbery, drug trafficking, and violence, according to the same source.
In fighting the spread of fake news related to Morocco’s epidemiological state, and the invasion of individuals’ privacy, officials opened 109 investigations that resulted in 80 prosecutions.
The Presidency of the Public Prosecution expressed its pride in citizens’ awareness about the confinement rules, said the statement.
Under Law 2.20.292, those convicted of violating the state of emergency will receive a sentence ranging from one to three months in prison and a fine of MAD 300 to MAD 1,300 ($30 to $132).
By the end of April, Moroccan police had arrested over 85,000 suspects for not respecting the country’s state of emergency.
More than half the suspects, nearly 45,000, went to court following their arrest.
Casablanca accounts for the majority of arrests, with over 11,000, followed by Rabat, Kenitra, Marrakech, Oujda, Agadir, Tetouan, and Sale.
Charges mainly include gathering in public, inciting citizens to gather, and not carrying an exceptional movement permit.
