Rabat – A Moroccan court on Wednesday convicted the governor of the Nador Province of killing stray dogs as part of a campaign the municipality carried out, ordering him to pay a fine of 6,000 MAD ($550).
The unprecedented ruling came after President of the Omam Association for Animal Welfare and Environmental Protection Nafissa Chemlal filed a complaint against the head of the Nador province.
Hakim Chemlal posted on Facebook part of the ruling, saying: “For the first time in the history of justice in Nador, a citizen uses her right to sue the Nador municipality over a human rights issue.”
The document specified that the judge described killing animals as “uncivilized,” adding that it is done in “brutal ways,” such as shooting and poisoning. He stressed that those practices, “which date back to ancient times, are no longer acceptable.”
The judge added that animal brutality has triggered widespread uproar and criticism from international animal protection organizations and activists.
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“Developed societies are not measured by how they treat humans only, but also how they treat animals,” the judge stressed, adding that such practices do not align with Islamic recommendations.
The judge concluded by emphasizing the need to treat animals with “compassion and kindness.”
As stray dogs continue to be a cause for concern for many citizens across Morocco, several local authorities have resorted to killing the strays as a way to control the issue.
This has caused immense outrage among Moroccans, including animal rights activists.
Many have suggested sterilizing and vaccinating stray dogs as an alternative method, with the aim of decreasing the transmission of diseases.
