Fouad Mortada’s Facebook Martyrdom
FOUAD Mortada is paying a heavy price for setting up a Facebook account in the name of King Mohammed of Morocco’s brother, Prince Moulay Rachid.
Despite an appeal to Prince Moulay Rachid for clemency, the court found 26-year-old Fouad Mortada guilty of falsifying data and imitating the prince without his consent. It also fined him 10,000 dirhams ($1,304), Mortada’s lawyer Ali Ammar said.
“The importance of the personality at the heart of this affair clearly influenced how the case was handled,” said Ammar.
It was just a joke, a gag,” Fouad was quoted as saying on www.helpfouad.com. “I regret my gesture and beg forgiveness from my whole family for the harm that I have caused them.”
Please forgive me. As a member of the Royal Family, I know no better and…
Open Letter appealing for clemency :
To the attention of His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid
Your Highness,
Since the morning of Tuesday February 5th, Fouad Mourtada, a young computer engineer, is imprisoned for having created a profile on the social site Facebook.com in the name of Your Highness.
We regret this act and present to you on his behalf our most sincere apologies for any inconvenience that this action may have caused.
Fouad Mourtada, like thousands of people who create fake profiles of well-known personalities or celebrities on Facebook, has in no way acted in a willingness to cause nuisance to Your Highness, for whom he has always shown the greatest of respect; Nor did he seek to use the name of Your Highness for any dishonest ends; he has in fact not sent any message from this profile to anyone. It was for him a simple virtual game of which he did not grasp the potential severity.
We implore the clemency of Your Highness. At 26 years, Fouad is a young man deeply committed to his country, who has worked hard to pass with flying colors all stages of his schooling and gradually become part of the dynamic forces on which our country can rely for its development.
Praying that Your Highness, accept the expression of our most sincere commitment and the most profound of our dedication.
Signed:
The family of Fouad Mourtada
Posted: 23rd, February 2008 | In: Strange But True Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
