A Moroccan youth leader has called on the Norwegian Nobel Committee and tech giant Meta to review their association with Yemeni Nobel laureate Tawakkol Karman, accusing her of spreading “incitement” and “misinformation” about the recent protests in Morocco.
In two formal letters seen by Assahifa, Ismail El Hamraoui, founder of the Parallel Youth Government of Morocco, urged the Nobel Committee to reconsider Karman’s 2011 Peace Prize and asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to review her membership of the company’s Oversight Board.
El Hamraoui argued that Karman’s online posts about Morocco’s “Gen Z” protests – including a claim that demonstrators were “approaching the royal palace” – were “false and provocative,” and contradicted the values of peace and dialogue associated with her global roles.
In a letter dated 4 October 2025 and verified by Assahifa, El Hamraoui told the Norwegian Nobel Committee that Karman’s recent media activity represented “a serious deviation from the moral and humanitarian principles that underpin the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“The Prize stands as a beacon of conscience and moral responsibility,” he wrote. “However, Ms Karman has repeatedly engaged in activities that incite division and disseminate misleading information, threatening the spirit of peace and human dignity.”
He urged the committee to open an independent investigation into her conduct, to consider disciplinary measures, and to establish an ethical oversight mechanism to monitor laureates’ post-award behaviour.
While acknowledging that the Nobel statutes do not allow a prize to be revoked, he said the committee still holds the “moral authority” to act when the reputation of the award is at stake.
El Hamraoui warned that “silence in the face of such conduct may be interpreted as tacit approval,” adding that the committee’s intervention was necessary to “safeguard Alfred Nobel’s legacy as a moral compass for humanity.”
In a separate letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, El Hamraoui expressed “deep concern” over Karman’s continued position on Meta’s Oversight Board, which he said requires “the highest standards of neutrality and integrity.”
He accused Karman of using her platform to “promote inflammatory rhetoric and politically misleading narratives,” particularly regarding Morocco’s protests.
“These actions,” he said, “undermine the credibility of the Oversight Board, which was created to protect freedom of expression responsibly – not to amplify divisive or destabilising voices.”
The Moroccan youth leader urged Meta to conduct an internal review of Karman’s online activity and to take appropriate action, including “suspending or removing her from the board” if breaches of company ethics were confirmed.
He also called on the company to issue a public statement reaffirming its “commitment to neutrality, transparency, and the responsible exercise of digital influence.”
Karman, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her role in Yemen’s pro-democracy movement, has frequently commented on political developments across the Arab world. Her recent posts about Morocco’s demonstrations, however, drew criticism from several observers who described them as “inflammatory” and “detached from reality.”
Protesters linked to the “Gen Z” movement have consistently stressed that their demands are social and peaceful in nature, focused on education, healthcare, and justice reforms. They have also reaffirmed their “commitment to the monarchy as a guarantor of national stability.”
