Moroccan Activists Launch Petition to Decriminalize Extramarital Sex

"L7BS LA" (No to prison, editor’s note). This is the slogan of the Hors-la-loi collective, which has launched a national petition for the repeal of Article 490 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which punishes "from one month to one year in prison any persons of different sex who, not being united by the bonds of marriage, have sexual relations with each other." "The petition was conceived on October 25, but the collection of signatures will last as long as necessary, with a weekly update on the subject that we will try to organize in our premises," explains Sonia Terrab, co-founder of the Collectif 490, adding that the idea is to run a participatory campaign by posting more videos on the subject to call on more and more people to campaign with us.

"The signatories of the petition publicly oppose the restriction of the individual freedoms of Moroccan citizens," says the Collectif 490 in a statement. According to the movement, the legitimacy of Article 490 "to govern the social life of Moroccans is called into question today, as is that of the actors in charge of its application such as the police, the courts, etc." Hence the need for its repeal. 4,000 signatures will be required for the petition to be officially accepted by the Moroccan state.