Two Moroccan gay men are set to go on trial for violating “public modesty” after holding each other for a photo at a historic site in Rabat, and could go to jail for up to three years.
Mohsine, a 25-year-old from Marrakesh, in the west of the country, and Lahcen, 38, from Rabat, were touring and taking pictures near Hassan tower, the capital’s famous minaret, earlier in June when they were arrested by the police for supposedly standing too close to each other, activists said. It is not clear if the men were in a relationship.
The pair are expected to appear in the court on Tuesday and if convicted, could face up to three years in jail under the country’s anti-gay laws. According to article 489 of Morocco’s penal code, homosexuality is punishable by six months to three years imprisonment.
The news of their arrest was initially announced by the state-run Al Aoula television channel which revealed their identities and photos in public in an attempt to shame them in the eyes of the country’s conservative society.
Activists condemned the move as reckless as it sparked demonstrations in front of their families’ houses. Aswat Collective, a prominent LGBT group in Morocco, told The Guardian that demonstrators shouted homophobic slurs without any intervention by watching police. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Monday, June 15, 2015
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