Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- Few days after the emergence of a video featuring locals of the city of Beni-mellal in Morocco assaulting 2 completely-nude gays, many Moroccan associations came together and called upon the Moroccan authorities to remove article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code.
One of the gays received as a matter of fact a 5 months jail sentence, while the other one was freed.
The AMDH, ALCS, MALI, Adala, Bayt al-Hikmah, and other associations are calling, among others, for the “immediate release of the victim of this aggression.”
The assaulters were arrested too and they will stand in front of the king’s attorney in the upcoming days to hear their judgement.
One of the assaulters who insulted God while attacking one of the two gays may be even sued for what is commonly referred to in Morocco as the law of “Lèse-majesté”, a law that penalizes anyone who insults God, the Nation or the King.
It is worth reminding that homosexuality is strictly forbidden in Morocco, with article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code criminalizing “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex.”
Homosexuality acts in the North African kingdom can be punished with anything from 6 months to 3 years imprisonment and a fine of 120 to 1200 dirhams.
The Moroccan Times.
