Morocco jails cartoonist Yasser Mounbir over caricatures of King Mohammed VI

Rabat: A Moroccan court sentenced a young cartoonist to four years in prison for "insulting the king" over caricatures he drew of King Mohammed VI, his lawyer said Sunday.

Lawyer Farouk Mehdaoui said 22-year-old Yasser Mounbir was also fined 40,000 dirhams (about $4,000) for the offence.

Mehdaoui said the defence team will file an appeal.

Mounbir, who was convicted of "insulting the king" and "insulting public officials", was arrested in June, after he posted his caricatures of the monarch on Instagram.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights had called for his release.

Article 179 of the Moroccan Penal Code forbids "defamation, insult or infringement of the private life of the king" and provides for prison sentences ranging from six months to two years.

The sentences can be doubled when the offence is committed electronically.

Rights advocates in Morocco have called for an end to laws they say stifle freedom of speech and for the pardon of people sentenced over social media posts.