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Rabat – The Marrakech Court of First Instance decided on May 14 to postpone the prosecution of Moroccan singer Dounia Batma and her sister Ibtissam to June 11, Moroccan television channel 2M reported.
Both sisters face charges for their alleged involvement in the infamous “Hamza mon bb” blackmail case.
The sisters face heavy charges for their alleged participation in fraudulently accessing personal data, and for their involvement in disseminating people’s statements and pictures through a data system without consent.
The charges also include disseminating people’s information with the intentional aim of undermining individuals’ privacy
Hamza mon bb references an infamous social media account linked to blackmail cases in Morocco. The account, active since 2016, shares indecent photos, videos, and content to undermine the privacy of celebrities and others in Morocco.
On May 8, the judge dropped a charge of fraud against the two sisters, but decided to prosecute them for the remaining charges.
Batma was released on bail in late December 2019 along with her sister.
Police, however, arrested Ibtissam in March for her alleged further involvement in the case.
Authorities confiscated the passports of both sisters and have held the documents since December.
Both sisters deny the accusations, but other tried suspects have accused them of direct involvement.
Moroccan Instagram influencer Soukaina Jannah, who also faced accusations for her involvement in the case, claimed the sisters were directly involved.
In February, the first instance court sentenced Jannah to two years in prison along with three other individuals. The defendants also paid a fine of MAD 10,000 ($1,000) each.
The head of the executive office of the National Center for Human Rights in Morocco, Mohamed El Madimi, has expressed his belief that Dounia has a direct link with the Hamza mon bb affair.
