Morocco: Blogger and activist Fatima Karim starts a hunger strike

On August 15, 2022, Moroccan blogger and activist Fatima Karim was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine, for posts on Facebook in which she derided a Quranic verse, which the authorities considered an insult to the Islamic religion. She has been held in solitary confinement since her arrest and is not allowed to communicate with other prisoners.

Posting an image or text on social media, even if others consider it offensive to religion, is protected under the right to freedom of expression. Fatima is now on a hunger strike and the Swedish Observatory for Human Rights Information demands the Moroccan authorities to release her immediately.