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Denver- Moroccan authorities released 23-year old Ikram Nazih from jail, after she was convicted for insulting Islam on social media.
The Moroccan-Italian woman was arrested shortly after returning to Morocco on a break from university. The accusations stemmed from a 2019 post Nazih shared on facebook. In the post, verses from the Quran were rewritten in praise of consuming alcohol.
Italian officials were in contact with Moroccan authorities since Nazih’s arrest, petitioning for her release. Italian European Affairs Undersecretary Enzo Amendola led the Italian diplomatic efforts to free Nazih. Amendola reported Nazih would be “released on the margins of a hearing,” scheduled for Monday morning.
Amendola relayed he worked on Nazih’s case alongside Italy’s ambassador to Morocco Armando Barucco, in addition to the Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. Di Maio released a brief statement praising Amendola and the rest of the Italian diplomatic staff for working towards Nazih’s release. After the conclusion of the case, Amendola noted the “Solid relations between Italy and Morocco continue,” in praise of Nazih’s release.
Nazih, who was born and raised in Italy, was arrested at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca in late June of this year. She was reportedly visiting family in Morocco, after finishing her school term at a law university in Marseille. Sources reported that the origin of her prosecution stemmed from a religious association in Marrakech that reported Nazih’s controversial social media post to authorities prior to her arrival.
Upon her arrest, Nazih’s father quickly defended his daughter, who he said “was not fluent in Arabic.” He described his daughter as “broken,” after the court sentenced her to three years in prison. The case quickly drew controversy from both sides on social media. While some defended Nazih’s actions as free speech, others deemed her guilty of disrespecting the Quran by posting her comment.
The court’s originally found Nazih in violation of Moroccan Penal Code 267(5) for disrespecting Islam, a violation which carries potential penalties of several years in prison and up to $21,000 in fines.
