Rabat – The Club of Lawyers in Morocco has filed a criminal complaint with Turkish prosecutors against Yemeni activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman, accusing her of inciting violence and terrorism and insulting a foreign head of state.
Earlier this month, Karman praised the youth protests in Morocco in language that many Moroccans found inflammatory. This includes describing demonstrations calling for better healthcare and education as a “revolution” and implying that demonstrations are escalating towards a direct challenge to the monarchy.
“The protests in Morocco are approaching the palace. Glory to the revolutionary Moroccan people,” she said in one of her posts on Facebook, where she shared videos of the unrest.
According to Moroccan lawyer Mourad El Aajouti, the legal action was submitted through official diplomatic channels. It comes after a series of posts Karman shared on the social media platform X, which the club says encouraged chaos and disobedience in Morocco and included offensive remarks against the Moroccan state and its institutions.
El Ajouti said the complaint is based on Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law No. 3713 and articles from the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237, which criminalize incitement to hatred and support for terrorism.
The Club of Lawyers has asked Turkish authorities to open a formal investigation, summon Karman for questioning, and preserve her online posts as evidence. The group also urged prosecutors to take all necessary legal measures in response to what it describes as serious offenses under Turkish law.
Karman’s posts triggered a wave of anger among Moroccans, with some even calling for her removal from Meta’s board and demanding that the Nobel Committee rethink her 2011 prize.
“It seems your hobby of spreading lies has brought you to Morocco this time! The palace is far beyond your imagination… and the schemes of chaos you excel at have no place here. What you wrote is nothing but lies and cheap incitement,” a Moroccan social media user commented.
Another commented, “The United Nations should strip you of your Nobel Peace Prize and arrest you for incitement to violence, which is punishable under international law.”
