Fez school principal convicted over controversial Facebook post

The Court of First Instance in Fez issued a ruling last Tuesday, convicting the principal of a primary school located in the Jnan Al-Ward neighborhood, following legal proceedings related to a post published on the social network “Facebook”.

Details of the prosecution and charges

According to the available information, the case stems from an official complaint filed by four educational inspectors against the principal. The plaintiffs accused him of defamation in a Facebook post where, according to the complaint, he referred to them as a “gang”.

Verdict and civil damages

Based on these findings, the court found the defendant guilty of the misdemeanor of broadcasting and publishing allegations and facts with the intent to infringe upon the privacy of individuals and defame them. The judicial panel sentenced him to a two-month suspended prison term.

Furthermore, the court ordered the defendant to pay civil damages of 1,000 dirhams to each of the plaintiffs as compensation for the harm caused.

Case progression and temporary release

It should be noted that the defendant was prosecuted while in a state of temporary release after posting bail, until the court concluded this primary instance case with the aforementioned verdict.