Morocco can now add draconian human rights laws to its long list of “reasons I won’t go there.” The country which recently made headlines by jailing Fouad Mourtada, a 26-year old IT engineer for having a Facebook profile claiming to be Prince Moulay Rachid, King Mohammed VI’s baby bro. He was officially charged with “villainous practices.”

Word dropped today that Mourtada had been tried and sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. A whole ‘lotta people are outraged over this one, but it’s self-righteousness that got Mourtada imprisoned, so it’s doubtful that any amount of drumming is gonna set this man free.

There is a reason that much of the world chooses not to embrace monarchies and this is a large part of it. Nothing is perfect, but at least in the U.S. we don’t have to worry about someone screaming “off with his./her head.” This is ridiculous.

A full debacle recap can be found at Global Voices Online.

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook profiles, morocco, human rights violations

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