Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…
This petition was launched by the ASWAT Collective for sexual minorities, based in Morocco, to be addressed to the Government of Morocco. The full text of the French-language petition is posted here, in English:
Why it is important
(Photo from the AVAAZ petition)
Every day in Morocco, four people are jailed because of their sexual orientation or identity. They could face up to three years’ imprisonment as well as a fine. This alarming situation reinforces the intolerance of society which does not hesitate to use physical and psychological violence against sexual minorities, to isolate them from the community at large.
In fact, deprived of their fundamental rights, sexual minorities live in total insecurity. To avoid their homophobic society, they are forced to deny themselves and to live in isolation. Our society puts his homophobia on an equal footing with our traditions and religious beliefs. Worse, it presents this sexual intolerance as the norm, in clear violation of the human dignity and rights of sexual minorities. We find it essential to ensure the equal rights of citizens, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Enough silence … We call for the abolition of Article 489 of the Penal Code!
