Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Wednesday issued a royal pardon for journalist Hajar Raissouni convicted for having had an abortion.
The Justice Ministry issued a statement announcing the royal pardon for Raissouni, her Sudanese fiance, Amin Rifaat, and the medical team, overturning a prison sentence for an “illegal abortion.”
In September, Morocco’s Court of First Instance sentenced Raissouni to a year in prison for having the abortion, which she denied. The same court sentenced her fiance to one year in prison, while Dr. Mohammed Jamal Belkeziz, accused of performing the abortion, received a two-year sentence.
The doctor's assistant and a nurse at the clinic were found guilty but were given suspended sentences.
The Ministry said the king's intervention in the high-profile case was “an act of compassion and mercy,” and came as the monarch wanted to help “preserve the future of the couple, who wanted to establish a family in line with our religious and legal precepts, despite the mistake which they may have committed.”
Raissouni’s case had sparked mass protests and drawn condemnation from rights groups.
Dozens of journalists and human rights protesters condemned the trial, which they described as unfair, demanding freedom for the journalist and the others involved in the case, stressing the need to protect freedom of expression and guarantee individual freedoms in the country.
Some linked the arrest to her articles that criticize the state, especially concerning the Hirak al-Rif protests.
The public prosecution confirmed that the arrest has nothing to do with Raissouni’s profession in journalism, and confirmed she underwent an abortion. The journalist’s legal team denied the accusations and considered her case political.
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