Rabat – A new attack on a homosexual person in Morocco’s Rif region was reported on Sunday by the activist organization Collectif Aswat – the same group that began the “Love is Not a Crime” campaign two years ago.
A 2.5-minute video shared on the group’s Facebook page shows a man with a severely battered face describing his relationship to the man who assaulted him.
The victim’s account indicates the attacker was a man he recognized from a coffee shop he had previously frequented. The post did not indicate which city in the Rif – which spans from Chefchouan to Oujda – was implicated in the incident and the clip blurred the victim’s face and voice to hide his identity.
“There are ongoing assaults against persons because of their sexual orientation and or gender expression,” the group’s statement, which accompanied the video, read. “Hence, the state must assume its responsibility to protect people from the absence of protecting laws and from popular trials.”
Article 489 of the Moroccan penal code criminalizes homosexual relationships by punishing perpetrators with up three years in prison, along with a fine worth several hundred dirhams. The same article also bans premarital sex between members of opposite genders, in accordance with Islamic ideas on gender relations.
Last week, Aswat released an animated video explaining the legal rights homosexuals – as well as other Moroccans – held when interacting with the police, in order to help the LGBT community defend itself against unfair incarcerations or trials.
In March, a group of residents of Beni Mellal bloodily assaulted a homosexual couple in a private residence, which led local courts to convict the attackers for trespassing and engaging in violent acts. The incident had been videotaped by bystanders.
