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Rabat – The Court of Cassation in Rabat confirmed yesterday the death penalty sentence for the 24-year-old man who raped and killed 11-year-old Adnane Bouchouf in Tangier in September 2020.
Moroccan television channel 2M said the culprit appealed to the cessation court to reverse the sentence he received in January 2021.
This is not the first time a Moroccan court has upheld the death penalty against the man. In April 2021, the Tangier Court of Appeal upheld the sentence for charges of kidnapping, rape, and murder after the perpetrator attempted to appeal the verdict.
The court also upheld sentences against three other suspects, the flatmates of the main perpetrator. The three individuals each received four months in prison for not reporting the crime.
The murder of Adnane Bouchouf made headlines, leading human rights NGOs to call for stricter laws against pedophiles and child abusers.
The case dates back to September 2020, when the culprit kidnapped Bouchour, luring the 11-year-old boy into entering his house. After raping the child, the man killed and buried him in a garden not far from the boy’s residence.
Bouchouf disappeared on September 7 of that year. Neighbors, the media, security services, and his family attempted to find him in vain.
Moroccan citizens across the country helped Adnane’s family by dispatching the child’s pictures online and in person.
Street camera footage from a local store enabled the owner to identify Adnane’s killer. The man then shared the footage with security services.
The footage showed a man talking to Adnane before walking away with him.
After a wave of anger stormed the perpetrator’s neighborhood, he rushed to a barber to change his appearance.
However, security services were able to identify him and arrest him.
Morocco has not carried out the death penalty since 1993. Still, citing international standards, Moroccan activists have called on the government to officially abolish the death sentence.
However, many Moroccans have a different sentiment regarding the matter, urging the government to carry out the death penalty against Adnane Bouchouf’s murderer.
Following the murder, some citizens launched an online petition calling for the execution of the killer.
