The Rabat Court of Appeal has doubled the initial sentences in the case of a 12-year-old rape victim who was repeatedly attacked in Tiflet by three men. Two of the rapists received 10 years in jail each, while the third, who is also the victim’s child’s father, received a 20-year sentence.

The guilty parties, who were aged 25, 32, and 37, received sentences ranging from 18 months to 2 years, a decision that provoked widespread outrage throughout the Kingdom due to its leniency in light of the gravity of the crime.

More than six hours were spent in court on Thursday hearing testimony from the young Sana, a witness who was there at the rape (the parent of one of the accused), and the witness’s witness.

The victim’s attorney, Abdelfattah Zahrach, stated that “the King’s Prosecutor has submitted a request for confidentiality of the hearing of the child, in consideration of her best interests.”

But, he regretted, this ought to have been done just during the victim’s hearing phase, with the rest of the proceedings open to the public.

Instead, we requested that the media be permitted to follow the trial’s progress because of the case’s ugliness and heinousness while maintaining the presumption of innocence and the requirements for a fair trial.

The accused’s attorney, Abdelhak Halhouli, responded, saying: “We must wait to see what the legal system will rule in this case, not just on appeal but also in cassation. We anticipate that the case’s conclusion will be reasonable and in line with reality.

The lawyer of the defendants defended the innocence of his clients, stating: “We appealed the verdict, since the defendants have denied the charges against them, whether before the judicial police, the investigating judge or the court of first instance.”

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A petition with thousands of signatures from Moroccan civilians criticizes the lenient prison terms given to three defendants who were charged with raping an 11-year-old girl in the town of Tiflet in northwest Morocco.

Yassmine Chami, a Moroccan author, started the petition and called the punishment a “despicable” decision.

The petition states that the petitioners are “outraged by the terrible ruling, which convicts criminals who raped one of our eleven-year-old children to merely two years in prison.”

The appeal stated that the raped woman gave birth to her first child at the young age of twelve after experiencing continuous rape and sexual assault.

The petition also demanded the reconsideration of the case in order to change the punishment imposed on the offenders, as well as the creation of an observatory or independent system to report any flaws discovered during cases involving violence against women and children.

The petition expresses outrage and growing concerns over the low punishment imposed by the criminal division of the Rabat Appeals Court, which on March 20 sentenced three males involved in repeated rape against a juvenile to two years in prison.

At the time of writing, the petition had gathered more than 11,000 signatures.

The lenient punishment was criticized by citizens, activists, and organizations as “unfair.”

According to the Moroccan organization Jossour Forum for Moroccan Women, the victim was given an unfair verdict.

Soumaya Naamane Guessour, a sociologist and university lecturer, wrote an open letter to Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi last week to protest the “unbearable leniency of the punishment.”

The court’s “incomprehensible normalization” of a culture of rape and impunity was also denounced by the sociologist.
Commenting on the decision, Ouahbi expressed his disbelief.

According to Ouahbi, who was mentioned in local media, “The rape case of the child struck us all and made us wonder, as a society, whatever steps should we reinforce and adopt, on a statutory, intellectual, and educational level, to safeguard children from rape.”

Despite the complaints and commotion, the court hasn’t made any statements or decided to change the ruling.
In order to protest the low sentence, the Moroccan organization Spring of Dignity scheduled a sit-in on Wednesday, April 5.
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Prison walls couldn’t escape extremism and terrorism. Sadly, the death of Habib El Harras, prison guard after being attacked by a prisoner who was recently arrested in connection with extremism and terrorism issues has rung the bell for numerous skeptics and supporters of the conspiracy theory when it comes to dismanteling terrorist groups in Morocco. 

The efforts made by Moroccan authorities and their vigilance in spotting and dismantling any possible terrorist organism has led a lot of people to adopt the conspiracy theory by doubting the existence of such groups within our society. However, the death of Habib El Harras has brought everyone’s attention to the devastating reality of extremists and terrorists in Morocco. 

The vigilance and organisation of Morocco keeps aborting all attempts of any extremist activities. It’s time we thought thoroughly before being skeptical or doubtful when it comes to dismantling extremist and terrorist groups. Why would Morocco be an exception? 

The incident of the death of Habib El Harras has perplexed those in favor of the conspiracy theory. Nobody has heard of their skeptical comments after this incident. Nobody has heard of them consolidating the family of Habib El Harras, only silence has struck this time. 

According to the latest information released by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), between 2002 and 2019 Morocco dismantled 199 terrorist cells linked mainly to Daesh.  

While you might give the benefit of the doubt, prevention stays better than cure.

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