In Morocco, adultery is a prohibited offense punishable by a prison sentence of one month to one year in accordance with Articles 490 and 491 of the Penal Code. Prosecuted before the court of first instance of the city of Mohammedia, a Moroccan woman has paid the price.
A teacher was sentenced to three months in prison by the court of first instance of Marrakech for adultery . Her lover, also involved in this case, was sentenced to six months in prison. The two defendants will also have to pay twenty thousand dirhams jointly.
A teacher and her lover were arrested in flagrant adultery in the teacher’s official residence, located in the El Askar douar in the Marrakech region.
In Morocco, it is not easy to be a single mother. This status is not accepted in the kingdom where extramarital relations are prohibited. Any woman who finds herself in this situation can be sentenced to one year in prison.
As the month of Ramadan begins on March 11, Moroccans are struggling to agree on the issue of eating in public during fasting. An act that remains severely punished by the Penal Code.
Moroccans are divided on the issue of sexual relations outside of marriage . While some are in favor of maintaining their criminalization, others are calling for their acceptance.
Emeritus university professor of sociology and consultant expert in "sexuality, gender and feminism in Islam", Abdessamad Dialmy, denounces the persistent taboo of sexuality in Morocco and the difficulty for young people to fully live their sexuality due to repressive laws.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted the bill on alternative sentences. The daily fine of between 100 and 2,000 dirhams was finally retained.
The Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, reiterated his opposition to the ban on unmarried couples sharing a room in a hotel, describing this measure as "illegal".
The Moroccan government is considering lifting the ban on unmarried couples sharing a hotel room.
Child marriage is a persistent phenomenon in Morocco due to the power of exemption granted to judges. The Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, strongly opposed to this practice, intends to remedy it through the reform of the Penal Code.
Mohamed Abdelouahab Rafiqui has been an advisor to the Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, since July 7. The former Salafist, now a defender of "values of tolerance and the just mean," explains the reasons why he is advocating for a reform of the Penal Code and the Family Code (Moudawana).