International Business Times
Bruce Wright
June 4, 2015
Two homosexual men were arrested Wednesday in Morocco for kissing in public during a defiant pro-gay protest over the country's policy outlawing homosexuality. The act is considered highly taboo in the conservative North African country that has routinely punished members of the gay community for being in violation of a law that made being gay a crime. Local officials announced the arrest on Thursday, June 4, Agence France-Press reported.
Police also arrested two French feminists Tuesday for their role in a pro-gay protest and expelled a Spanish woman from the country for demonstrating topless during the same protest. A local official called their actions “a series of provocations and harassment carried out by foreign organizations who deliberately violate Moroccan laws … to undermine morality.”
The arrests this week in the city of Rabat came one week after three Moroccan men were each given three-year jail sentences for being gay. In that instance, authorities were told by an unidentified source that two men were engaged in sexual activity before they were “caught in the act,” NDTV reported. A friend who reportedly introduced the two men was also arrested.
Earlier in May, a gay British couple who were reportedly unfamiliar with Morocco’s laws banning homosexuality were prevented from staying in the same room at a resort in the western part of the country, Pink News reported. The two men had booked their trip for the Eden Andalou Spa and Resort in Marrakech before British Airways contacted them and informed them they would have to reserve an extra room if they wanted to travel to Morocco together because the hotel would not let them check in any other way.
Morocco has a zero tolerance policy for homosexuality, and the law provides for a mandatory three-year jail sentence for “a deviant act with a person of the same sex.”
Human rights groups have spoken out in the past about the country’s treatment of homosexuals. “The combination of a state that enforces sodomy laws, a justice system that denies a fair trial, and the social stigma attached to homosexuality is a formula for damaging people’s lives,” Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North African director of Human Rights Watch, said in March. Whitson was speaking in general terms but was also specifically addressing prison sentences for two men who were found guilty of being homosexuals, according to a Human Rights Watch report.
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Imagine: 3 years in prison just for being gay. That's what could happen to Lahcen and Mohsine, two Moroccan gay men. They were arrested while taking a photo next to a monument in Rabat. The police said they were violating "public modesty" by standing too close together.
Their trial is in 3 days, where it's likely they'll get a 3-year jail term: last month some other Moroccans were given 3-year sentences, just for being gay. All Out's Moroccan partner, the Aswat Collective, is fighting for Lahcen and Mohsine's freedom and have urgently asked us to help.
A huge global outcry, just before their trial on Tuesday could be a game-changer for Lahcen and Mohsine. The Moroccan authorities are investing in the tourist industry to attract visitors from across the world – they can't risk the damage to their reputation of a massive global petition.
Just 3 days left to speak out that being gay is not a crime. Sign and share the petition now, to build a giant call for Lahcen and Mohsine to be freed: go.allout.org/en/a/lahcen-mohsine/
Lahcen and Mohsine were sightseeing around Rabat on 4 June when they were arrested. Mohsine doesn't live in the city, so Lahcen had showed him several tourist spots. They were taking photos at the Hassan Tower when they were arrested.
Since their arrest, Lahcen and Mohsine's full names and pictures were leaked to national media in Morocco. Hate rallies have been organised outside their families' homes and the police haven't tried to protect their families from harassment.
Call for Lahcen and Mohsine to be freed: go.allout.org/en/a/lahcen-mohsine/
Being gay is still illegal in Morocco, even though the 2011 constitution bars discrimination on any grounds. The Aswat Collective is campaigning for the Moroccan government to abolish the article of the penal code – Article 489 – which outlaws homosexuality.
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