Moroccan Court Sparks Outrage: 88-Stitch Assault Nets Attacker Mere 2-Month Sentence

Outrage in Morocco after a verdict handed down on Monday by the court of first instance of Mechra Bel Ksiri. It sentenced the aggressor of Khadija, a woman victim of an attack on the face that required 88 stitches, to only two months in prison and a fine of 300 dirhams. A verdict considered far too lenient given the seriousness of the facts.

This divorced woman living in Dar El Koudari, in the Sidi Kacem region, had been violently attacked in the face by a young man from a wealthy family under the influence of alcohol. He had made advances to her, but was met with Khadija’s refusal. The man is said to have broken a bottle of alcohol and stabbed the young woman in the face with it. She came out of it with 88 stitches. The doctor gave her a 35-day medical incapacity certificate.

The elements of the Royal Gendarmerie quickly arrested the aggressor, who answered for his actions before Moroccan justice. However, the verdict in this case is shocking. Khadija appeared in a video that went viral on social media. "What is this, guys? He disfigured me and you only gave him two months?" she cried, in tears.

This conviction has set the web on fire. Many Internet users describe this sentence as "lenient" and "unjust". They demand the application of Article 507 of the Penal Code, which, according to them, provides for more appropriate sanctions for such violent attacks.