In a significant gesture coinciding with Throne Day, King Mohammed VI has granted royal pardons to 2,476 individuals, encompassing both incarcerated and free citizens convicted by various courts across the kingdom, as reported by the Ministry of Justice. Among those granted clemency are notable journalists Taoufik Bouachrine, Omar Radi, and Souleimane Raissouni, along with activists Reda Taoujni and Youssef El Hirech. Additional journalists and activists sentenced but not in detention also benefited from the royal pardon. This group includes Hicham Mansouri, Imad Stitou, and Afaf Barani.
Taoufik Bouachrine has been incarcerated since 2018 on charges of rape and human trafficking. Omar Radi and Souleimane Raissouni were detained in 2020 on moral charges. Reda Taoujni, a YouTuber, was sentenced to four years for contempt and defamation, while Youssef El Hirech was convicted for offenses including “assaulting a public official,” “insulting a constituted body,” and “disseminating private or confidential information without consent.”
The 2,278 pardoned detainees include full amnesty on fines and the remaining prison terms for 171 detainees, reduction of the remaining prison terms for 2 detainees, reduction of prison sentences for 2,090 detainees, and commutation of life sentences to fixed terms for 15 detainees. Additionally, 182 free individuals received pardons, including full or partial amnesty on prison sentences for 45 individuals, full amnesty on prison sentences with fines remaining for 9 individuals, full or partial amnesty on fines for 121 individuals, and full amnesty on both prison sentences and fines for 7 individuals.
On this auspicious occasion, the King extended clemency to individuals convicted of extremism and terrorism, provided they demonstrated a commitment to national values and institutions, renounced their ideological stances, and rejected extremism and terrorism. This clemency included reduction of remaining prison terms for 7 detainees and reduction of prison sentences for 9 detainees.
