2 more Moroccans imprisoned for homosexual acts
Agence France-Presse reports:
Two young Moroccan men were jailed on Monday [May 20] by a court in Temara for four months for being homosexuals, one of their lawyers told AFP.
The two, aged 20 and 28, were arrested at the beginning of the month at Temara near the capital by police who found them together in a car.
On Monday both men denied the charges.
“We were in the car having a chat, nothing more. We’ve done nothing illegal,” one defendant told the court.
The lawyer said: “We told the judge that the statement signed by the accused contains inexactitudes,” adding that he would discuss with the men’s families on Tuesday [May 21] whether to appeal.
The police version of the incident is different. Police said the two men were arrested after a routine police patrol found them engaging in sex inside a car.
The police report said the pair had stated: “We met on the Internet and we made an appointment on May 2 at Temara for an intimate encounter.” Police said the sex acts were performed in exchange for money.
Some lawyers said the men’s four-month sentence is “mild,” because of their young age and their lack of a criminal record.
Under Moroccan law, homosexual activity is punishable with prison sentences of six months to three years.
On May 6, two unidentified men were sentenced to three years in prison for violating that law.
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