The Moroccan Bar Association announced that it has filed a formal criminal complaint with the Turkish public prosecutor against Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2011, on charges of inciting hatred, vandalism, and glorifying terrorism.
The complaint is based on a series of social media posts that the professional body deemed offensive to the Kingdom of Morocco and its constitutional institutions.
### Background of the Complaint: Posts Calling for “Revolution” and Overthrow
This complaint arises in the context of youth protests that have occurred in Morocco over the past few weeks, which Karman referred to in her tweets as a “youth uprising” and a “victorious revolution” against a “corrupt and tyrannical regime.”
For example, on October 4, Karman tweeted her support for the “revolutionary youth of Morocco,” calling for a “break of chains,” accompanied by a video showing demonstrations in several Moroccan cities. In another tweet, she affirmed her support for the “overthrow of the regime,” likening the situation to revolutions in countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, considering that “revolutions and peaceful struggles are ongoing worldwide” and that “the corrupt, failing, and tyrannical Moroccan regime will not be the last, God willing.”
According to the complaint, announced by the club’s president, Mourad Al-Ajoui, via his account on X (formerly Twitter), these posts contain “offensive language and explicit calls for violence, revolution, and acts of vandalism,” constituting direct incitement to hatred and terrorism.
Al-Ajoui added that Karman, as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is “expected to advocate for peace rather than glorify terrorism,” referring to the relevant Turkish laws, including:
| Article | Crime | Details |
|———|———————————|———————————————————-|
| 125 | Incitement to hatred | Criminalizes calls for hatred between social or ethnic groups. |
| 216 | Incitement to violence | Punishes the promotion of violence or hatred via social media. |
| 312 | Glorifying terrorism | Prohibits promoting or glorifying terrorist acts. |
| 314 | Incitement to vandalism | Punishes calls for vandalism or harm to public security. |
| 220/6-7 | Insulting the state | Criminalizes insults against state symbols or institutions. |
| 340 | Insulting a foreign head of state | A serious crime due to its diplomatic repercussions, considered a public insult to King Mohammed VI of Morocco. |
The club emphasizes that “freedom of expression cannot justify the glorification of violence or calls for vandalism and incitement to terrorism,” noting that Turkish law strictly criminalizes these “deviations,” particularly under Articles 216 and 312. It also highlights that public insults directed at a foreign head of state constitute a serious offense under Article 340, due to their implications for diplomatic relations, where mutual respect between countries is a fundamental principle of international law.
### Demands of the Complaint: Immediate Investigation and Legal Actions
The complaint demands an immediate investigation into the cited incidents, summons Karman to provide her testimony, and the necessary legal actions upon her entry into Turkish territory. The club praises the “stringent judicial efforts of the Republic of Turkey,” citing recent judicial rulings in which individuals were convicted for promoting terrorism through social media, with prison sentences imposed in similar cases.
### From Freedom of Expression to Insult
This complaint follows Karman’s transition from praising the protests to calling for participation in overthrowing the regime, escalating to clear insults toward the king on X, particularly after many Moroccans rejected her interference in Moroccan affairs.
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