Morocco: Two Students Arrested After Posting Photos where they Exchange Kisses in Public

Casablanca- Police authorities in Nadour recently arrested two students after pictures of the young man and woman exchanging kisses in a public area in Nadour went viral on Facebook. Their intimate photos had allegedly stirred a big controversy among other Nadour residents who saw them on Facebook.

Police authorities subsequently interrogated the two students who eventually unveiled the identity a third person who took the pictures. The photographer was then arrested and also interrogated.

What prompted police authorities to immediately intervene is the number of complaints lodged against the two students by the Organization for Human Rights and Public Liberties, which is based in Nadour.

Both students, and their photographer, are currently in police custody until further investigations are conducted. The three suspects will eventually stand in court, which will then decide their fate.

On Facebook, other users had mixed feelings about the intimate photos of the students, as well as to the news of their arrest. Some condemned their act and argued for the respect of moral values and principles, whereas others expressed outrage at their arrest and called for the respect of individual freedom against what they termed a “smothering Moroccan traditionalism.”

It is likely that this arrest will stir a controversy in Morocco between those who oppose and those who support this arrest. Already, Ibtissam Lachgar and Zineb El Rhazoui – known for their defense of individual freedoms, including the right to eat in public during Ramadan- have posted photos where they appear exchanging kisses with their respective partners. Their move comes in solidarity with the three students.