Yesterday, Mohamed Erraji, was given a two-year prison sentence and fined 5,000 dirhams ($626) for displaying a lack of respect for Moroccan royalty, King Mohammed. Erraji's blog accused Morocco's monarchy
of encouraging a culture of dependency where loyalty is rewarded with favors. He wrote, "(Moroccans are a people) without dignity, who live by donations and gifts." In a similar case, a young man who set up a Facebook profile in the name of King Mohammed's brother Moulay Rachid, was jailed in February. The man was released a month later by royal pardon after a worldwide Internet campaign.