Rabat- The Moroccan couple arrested for publicly kissing in front of the Hassan II tower and mosque in Rabat were charged with "homosexuality" and "breach of public decency" and appeared in court in the first trial sessions of their case on Friday.
According to Alyoum24, the trial was adjourned until next Thursday in order to consider the initial formal requests of the defense, which is planning to summon the individual who took the pictures, the camera, and penalize the police officer on charges of disclosing the confidential report.
In solidarity with the two French members of FEMEN who kissed publicly in the esplanade of Hassan II, the same-sex Moroccan couple used the same backdrop last week to kiss one another in a “heinous act and breach to the Moroccan culture,” according to the language used in the report.
Homosexuality, lesbianism, and any other sexual act out of wedlock are not tolerated in conservative Moroccan society, and they are considered a crime by law.
The Moroccan penal code considers such acts offensive to public decency, especially when committed in the presence of one or more unintentional witnesses or in a public place.
According to Article 483 of the code, any person who deliberately appears nude in public or performs obscene acts or gestures is considered guilty of harming public decency. This article of the penal code punishes the perpetrator with one month to two years in prison and a fine of 200 to 500 dirhams. This code is specifically designed to enact prison sentences on anyone found guilty of homosexuality.
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