More gay men arrested and jailed in Morocco

A clamp down on homosexuality in Morocco has become further heightened this week after two men were jailed, and around 20 men and trans people were arrested.

Two Moroccan men, aged 25 and 38, were convicted of an “affront to public decency” and an “unnatural act with a person of the same sex” on Friday, after being arrested earlier this month. The pair allegedly ‘held’ each other at an historic site in Rabat, in solidarity with two French women, who were deported following a topless kissing protest at the same spot last month. The men were each given a four month jail sentence, and fined 500 dirhams (about £85).

A petition arranged by Aswat Collective, calling for the release of the men, was signed by over 60,000 people. The group campaigns to have the country’s anti-gay law reversed. In a post on their Facebook page (below), they said that up to 20 gay men and trans people were also arrested on Friday in Agadir, charged with “incitement to corruption”. Their trials are now pending.

In a statement, Aswat went on to say, “The Moroccan authorities reaffirm their position through this campaign of oppression and arrests targeting homosexuals, while the country is having an intense debate relative to the decriminalization of homosexuality.”

Morocco is a conservative Muslim country, where homosexual activity is punishable by up to three years in jail. A British man made headlines in October last year, after he was temporarily jailed there when police searched his phone and found explicitly gay images.

More stories:

Morocco expels two women for topless kissing protest

Moroccan magazine asks, ‘Shall we burn homos?’