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Rabat – The public prosecution office in Marrakech appealed the decision of a Moroccan court to release a Kuwaiti national on bail without confiscating his passport. The defendant is being prosecuted for the rape of 14-year old girl.
The decision comes after an uproar campaign from rights groups that strongly condemned his provisional release for a fine estimated $3,000 (MAD 30,000).
Last week, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights branch in Marrakech found that “granting the man a temporary release and not confiscating his passport gives him the opportunity to escape Morocco and punishment.”
The man reportedly raped the 14-year old girl in July 2019 in a rented apartment in Marrakech. The girl disappeared for a few days before reappearing after the ordeal.
The victim accused the man of violently raping her. He gave her MAD 3,600.
She said that the man hid her in his car’s trunk to get her inside the building.
The association condemned the indecent act, stating that sexual exploitation and rape of children are flagrant violations of children’s rights.
The court’s move to release the man was the mother’s decision after she withdrew the complaint against the suspect.
The victim’s lawyer, however, decided to ask the court to arrest the man and to sentence him for his crime.
Article 486 of the penal code in Morocco stipulated that suspects involved in rape of minors, people with special needs, or pregnant women should receive a prison sentence ranging between 10 and 20 years.
Several other cases of sexual assault on children have sparked uproar nationwide, including the case of Felix Ramos, a Spanish celebrity who raped two minors in Morocco.
A court in Tangier sentenced Ramos in November 2019 to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of statutory rape and indecent assault of two minors.
