human rights organisations urge morocco to start protecting homosexuals

By Abeli Zahabu (BTM French Reporter)

Morocco – April 23, 2008: Human Rights Watch and the Moroccan Human Rights Association have urged the Moroccan government to protect the rights to privacy and fair trial of its citizens regardless of their sexual orientation.

The two organisations also requested that the Moroccan authorities repeal a law that prescribes prison terms for consensual homosexual acts. They have also launched a petition demanding that the government repeal article 489 of the penal code that criminalises homosexuality.

This request followed the arrest of six men last November by Moroccan police after they were seen in a video showing a private party that was circulated on the internet, which was deemed by the media to be a gay marriage. They all denied the charges of homosexuality but were later sentenced to up to 10 months in prison.

“After these incidents, HRW and the Moroccan Human Rights Association raised their voices to condemn these arbitrary arrests and called upon the government to protect the rights to privacy”, explained Khadija Ryadi, founder and director of the Moroccan Human Rights Association.

Moroccan Human Rights Association further complained that it is not easy to get positive results with regard to the protection of the rights of privacy in a conservative and taboo-filled environment such as the Moroccan society. Authorities continue to destroy basic human rights of gay people, according to the association.

“Even seemingly progressive people are reluctant to take any action in favour of sexual minorities or to support our campaign because of the many taboo that the society is filled with”, Ryadi further explained.

The Moroccan Human Rights Association is even sceptical on whether the Moroccan authorities will consider its demands to protect the rights and privacy of LGBTI people, given that the Muslim religion is intertwined with social life, according to sources.

“The likelihood of us succeeding in our request is very low. However we are working for the future and we strive to raise the debate on those issues in the Moroccan society”, Ryadi concluded.