Jailed for kissing, 2 Moroccan girls win in court

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Protest against Morocco's anti-LGBT law. (Undated photo courtesy of Altermondes) — Protest against Morocco’s anti-LGBT law. (Undated photo courtesy of Altermondes)

On Dec. 9, a court in Marrakesh, Morocco, dismissed charges against two girls who had been arrested and jailed in late October after being spotted kissing on a rooftop.

The girls, ages 16 and 17, had been charged under Article 489 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to three years in prison for same-sex intimacy.

They were arrested Oct. 27, released on bail on Nov. 3 and tried Nov. 25. On Dec. 9, they were returned to their families.

Not all human rights defenders were satisfied with the verdict. Omar Arbib, a human rights defender from the Moroccan Association of Human Rights, welcomed the dismissal of the charges, but criticized the court because it “did not have the courage to say that the two girls are innocent of homosexuality.”

Logo of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights.

In Morocco, the new constitution of 2011 commits the Kingdom to “banish and combat discrimination against any person, by reason of sex, color, creed, culture, social or regional origin, language, disability or any personal circumstances. “

Nevertheless, homosexuality remains illegal.

Arrests for homosexuality are common in Morocco. But this is the first case involving women.

Neighbors of two defendants from Beni Mellal, Morocco, who were accused of assaulting LGBT men demonstrate against homosexuality and in favor of the defendants outside the court where they were on trial in April 2016. One of the assault victims was sentenced to four months in prison for homosexuality; that sentence was later suspended.Two of the attackers were sentenced to 4-6 months in prison. (Fadel Senna photo courtesy of AFP) — Moroccan homophobia on display: Neighbors of two men accused of assaulting a gay couple demonstrate against homosexuality in April 2016. One of the assault victims was imprisoned for a portion of a four-month prison sentence for homosexuality before the sentence was suspended. Two of the attackers were sentenced to 4-6 months in prison. (Fadel Senna photo courtesy of AFP)

“We hope that this verdict represents the end of an ordeal that these two teenage girls should never have undergone,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch (HRW). “This case again demonstrates why Moroccan authorities should abolish Article 489 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes homosexual acts. When a person is at risk of being arrested and prosecuted solely on the basis of his alleged sexual orientation, every Moroccan should feel concerned, “she added.

Sources: