Morocco Rape Case Reopened: Court to Hear Appeal in Controversial 11-Year-Old Victim Trial

While they thought they had gotten away with it after the verdict handed down by the court of first instance in Rabat, the three men accused of raping the girl from Tiflet will have to answer for their crime before the Court of Appeal. Faced with the controversy and outrage sparked by the verdict handed down on March 20, the public prosecutor’s office decided to appeal, reports the Arabic-language daily Al Akhbar. The Criminal Chamber should look into this case in the very near future.

The victim lives in a douar near Tiflet. Three men from her neighborhood, aged 25, 32 and 37, had raped her repeatedly in the absence of her parents. As a result of this rape, she became pregnant. Today, she is 12 years old and has given birth to a child. Her case was brought before the court of first instance in Rabat. The rapists were all found guilty. One of the three defendants was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 DH. The other two were sentenced to 2 years in prison, including 18 months in prison, as well as a fine of 20,000 DH. A verdict considered "scandalous", "lenient" by civil society for the rapists, and "unfair" towards the victim.

With this new twist, civil society expects the sentences of the convicted persons to be increased, as was the case for a Spaniard whose sentence was increased from 3 years to 8 years in prison for similar acts.