Moroccan blogger Mohamed Erraji has been acquitted, according to RSF. (Thanks to @digiactive.) Erraji was arrested for criticizing the king in early September, he was hurried through a kangaroo court, sentenced to two years in prison and fined 5,000 dirhams, then released on bail on appeal, then acquitted.

The appeal court found that correct judicial procedure was violated. Erraji was arrested and charged on 4 September and his lawyer appeared before a court in his defence on 16 September, 12 days later. But article 72 of the press law requires a minimum of 15 days between the filing of charges and the first hearing in the trial.

The decision is heartening. The judges in the appeal court in Agadir showed matter-of-fact integrity, as they should have.

Mohamed Erraji has been released on bail, according to DigiActive.

The court of appeals ruled on Thursday that the lower court had failed to respect certain legal procedures under the Press and Publication Law. The public prosecutor’s office did not object to Erajji’s release.

Read more on Menassat.

Mohamed Erraji

Mohamed Erraji, the Moroccan blogger who was arrested for criticizing the king, was immediately sentenced to two years in prison and fined 5,000 Moroccan dirhams.

The thought comes to mind that perhaps the debacle with the last arrest, that of Fouad Mortada, who was arrested for creating a satirical Facebook account for one of the king’s sons, chastened the kingdom and they wished to put this one out of sight and out of mind and avoid the embarrasment of worldwide condemnation.

Mohamed Erraji

Update: Erraji has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined 5,000 Moroccan dhs.

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DigiActive wrote to tell us that Moroccan blogger Mohamed Erraji has been arrested “for article criticizing the king’s social policies.”

More on Mohamed Erraji’s arrest here (French). If anyone could send us a translation, we would appreciate it.

A Free Mojamed Erraji site has already been created.

More information at Mideast Youth.