Held under the theme "Defamation and just national causes, from constraint to opportunity", the conference was attended by Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, and an array of researchers, jurists and personalities from various backgrounds.

The Moroccan Observatory to combat defamation and extortion will be responsible for dealing with issues relating to these two phenomena on a national scale, and for detecting practices aimed at undermining just national causes.

In this regard, Karima Sellam, chairwoman of the Observatory's preparatory committee, said that the new structure aims to detect and monitor defamation practices and extortion operations, as well as untruths aimed at undermining just national causes, led by the issue of the Kingdom's territorial integrity.

Sellam, a lawyer at the Casablanca Bar, told MAP that the Moroccan Observatory to combat defamation and extortion aims to counteract "fake news", which is likely to damage individuals and national institutions, and belittle Morocco's efforts and achievements in various fields.

She added that the phenomenon of defamation bothers the recipient because of its negative effects, noting that this issue has become more acute in the wake of the digital revolution and easy access to the virtual world.