Rabat — Morocco’s prison authority has denied false claims about a detained police officer’s death that spread through a video posted online by someone living abroad.
The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) issued a statement Saturday rejecting allegations that a police officer died at Ain Sebaa local prison.
The prisoner mentioned in the video remains alive and currently serves his sentence at Arjat 2 local prison, not Ain Sebaa prison as the video claimed, DGAPR’s statement indicated.
Prison officials said the inmate faces charges for complicity in insulting public officials during their duties, insulting a legally governed institution, and helping spread fake statements and misleading information through computer systems for defamation purposes.
The DGAPR clarified that he serves an 18-month prison sentence following a preliminary court decision, not the five-year term the video’s creator falsely reported.
The prison authority also accused the person who made the video of spreading fake news as part of a systematic campaign targeting Moroccan national institutions and agencies, in this case prison authorities.
Officials described this as part of a broader plan designed to damage Morocco’s image and defame its symbols while serving hostile agendas, especially with the organization of two prestigious football tournaments, the 2025 AFCON and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, approaching.
The statement raises ongoing concerns about misinformation campaigns targeting Moroccan institutions through social media platforms, particularly by individuals operating from outside the country’s borders.
In July 2024, a report indicated that the North African country was heavily subjected to fake news campaigns in June of the same year.
The Moroccan government has been intensifying efforts to combat misinformation campaigns. In 2024, Morocco’s Ministry of Communication met with TikTok’s MENA director in a joint-pledge to take serious action on the matter and strengthen cooperation.
