Morocco: An Instagram photo with a "heart emoji" leads a married woman and her lover to prison

The Court of First Instance in El Jadida sentenced a 25-year-old married woman, mother of three children, and her single lover to three months in prison each for adultery. The case came to light when the young woman’s husband, a sailor working in the south of the country, filed a complaint with the Royal Gendarmerie. He had received from his own brother two photos showing his wife leaning on the shoulder of a neighbor, with a red heart emoji on her face.

The investigators quickly determined that the photos had been posted at the end of September on the lover’s Instagram account. During his hearing, the latter admitted the facts. He explained that he had known the young woman since childhood and that their relationship had begun about four years earlier, after her marriage, through exchanges on WhatsApp.

The lover also revealed the motive for his publication. He confessed to posting the photos while he was intoxicated. He was trying to put pressure on his mistress to get her to come back to him, as she had decided to definitively end their relationship. However, he had not anticipated that the images would reach the husband’s brother and become evidence against him.

For her part, the young woman confirmed the affair during the investigation. She also stated that her lover had threatened to publish these photos if she did not come back to him, explaining that she had fallen into his trap after a series of messages and meetings.