Moroccan LGBTQ+ Groups Rally Behind Alleged Rape Victim in High-Profile Case

In this statement, published simultaneously on several Facebook pages and signed by eight groups including "Dynamique Trans", "Association Akaliyat", "SAQFE", "Nassawiyat" or "Groupe d’action féministe Maroc", the defenders of the LGBTQ+ cause in Morocco declared their support for Adam Muhammed, who accuses the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Akhbar Al Youm, Soulaiman Raïssouni, of rape. The alleged victim also filed a complaint against the lawyer of the latter, Abd El Moulay El Mourouri, for "incitement to hatred, following a post in which he questioned the legitimacy of a rape complaint filed by a homosexual person".

Contacted by le360, "Nassawiyat", which presents itself as a "feminist and LBTQ group", "self-managed and not registered because it is currently impossible to do so in Morocco", explains that it is used to this kind of joint action for the fight against the discrimination and violence suffered by members of their community. It is normal "when it comes to issues that affect us like in the recent outing case", said this feminist group.

In Morocco, social media have often been flooded with calls for discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence against members of the LGBT community. The eight signatory groups insist on several points, declaring "to provide their unconditional support and solidarity to the alleged victim and human rights activist, Adam Muhammed". According to them, the alleged act is a "flagrant violation of the right to data protection and privacy, enshrined in Chapter 24 of the Moroccan Constitution and in Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and then in Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights".

They also condemned the statements of certain human rights activists who see in this case "political score-settling and try to silence the victim by depriving him of his right to justice". For the eight signatory groups, this case "is not a political issue that affects press freedom". If the charges against the aggressor are proven, he will have to answer for them before the courts", they declared. They disapprove and denounce "behaviors tending to blame the victim, accuse him, defame him and cover him with shame", seeing in this "the normalization of the culture of rape and sexual assault".

In this statement, the eight signatory groups also demand the decriminalization of "homosexuality in Morocco and the removal of all articles criminalizing the LGBT community, starting with Chapter 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code". They also call for a review "of Article 1 of Chapter 431 of the Moroccan Penal Code in order to include a paragraph on discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identities and expressions". They also call for the "enactment of laws that guarantee, preserve and protect the rights and dignity of the LGBT community".

Aware that the task will not be easy in trying to wrest some legitimacy, they say they are "stronger than ever, with the establishment of several collectives fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and implementing support, information and advocacy campaigns for the abolition of Article 489". It is for all these reasons that "the alleged rape of Adam Muhammed has become for this collective, not only a reason to display determined support for the complainant, but also an opportunity to advance its struggle and assert the rights of the LGBTQ+ community".