UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Udlændinge- og Integrationsudvalget 2016-17
UUI Alm.del Bilag 148
Offentligt

3/2017

Morocco

Situation of LGBT Persons

Report based on interviews in Morocco 9 to 18 October 2016

Copenhagen, March 2017

Danish Immigration Service

Ryesgade 53

2100 Copenhagen Ø

Phone: 00 45 35 36 66 00

Web: www.newtodenmark.dk

E-mail: [email protected]

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

List of Content

DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 5

METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................................... 6

1. BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................ 8

2. SITUATION OF LGBT PERSONS IN MOROCCO .........................................................................................................10

2.1 T

HE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK RELATING TO SEXUALITY

....................................................................................................... 10

2.2 E

XPOSURE TO VIOLENCE BY SUBGROUPS OF

LGBT

PERSONS

................................................................................................. 10

2.3 LGBT

COMMUNITIES AND SAFE SPACES IN

OROCCAN SOCIETY

........................................................................................... 12

2.4 S

TATE PROTECTION AVAILABLE

....................................................................................................................................... 13

2.5 E

XAMPLES OF TRIALS INVOLVING HOMOSEXUALITY

............................................................................................................. 14

2.6 C

ONDITIONS IN PRISONS FOR INCARCERATED

LGBT

PERSONS

............................................................................................... 17

APPENDIX A: MEETING NOTES (ENGLISH VERSION) ...................................................................................................18

1. M

INISTRY OF

OREIGN

FFAIRS AND

OOPERATION

............................................................................................................. 18

2. N

ATIONAL

OUNCIL OF

UMAN

IGHTS

ONSEIL

ATIONAL DES

ROITS DE L

’H

OMME

- CNDH) ............................................... 19

3. M

OROCCAN

SSOCIATION OF

UMAN

IGHTS

SSOCIATION

AROCAINE DE

ROITS

UMAINS

– AMDH) ................................. 20

4. T

SWAT GROUP

(

LE COLLECTIF

SWAT

)......................................................................................................................... 23

5. A

BDELAZIZ

OUAYDI

LAWYER

......................................................................................................................................... 27

6. A

BDESSAMAD

IALMY

, P

ROFESSOR

.................................................................................................................................. 29

APPENDIX B: MEETING NOTES (FRENCH VERSION) ....................................................................................................33

INISTÈRE DES

FFAIRES

TRANGÈRES ET DE LA

OOPÉRATION

......................................................................................... 33

ONSEIL NATIONAL DE DROITS DE L

’H

OMME

(CNDH) ..................................................................................................... 33

SSOCIATION

AROCAINE DE

ROITS

UMAINS

(AMDH) .............................................................................................. 35

OLLECTIF

SWAT

................................................................................................................................................ 38

BDELAZIZ

OUAYDI

AVOCAT

.................................................................................................................................... 41

APPENDIX C: SOURCES CONSULTED ...........................................................................................................................44

APPENDIX D: BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................................................................................................................................45

APPENDIX E: TERMS OF REFERENCE ..........................................................................................................................47

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Disclaimer

This report was written according to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) Country of Origin

Information report methodology.

The report is based on approved notes from meetings with carefully

selected sources. Statements from all sources are used in the report, and all statements are referenced.

This report is not, and does not purport to be, a detailed or comprehensive survey of all aspects of the

issues addressed in the report. It should be weighed against other available country of origin information

on the situation of LGBT persons in Morocco with regard to the legislative framework, their possibility for

obtaining protection by the authorities, their exposure to violence in the public and private sphere and

their conditions in prison. The report does not include policy recommendations or analysis. The

information in the report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Danish Immigration Service (DIS).

Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particular claim to

refugee status or asylum. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal

position.

European Union: European Asylum Support Office (EASO), EASO Country of Origin Information report methodology, 10 July 2012.

Available at

http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ffc33d32.html

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Abbreviations

AMDH

– Association Marocaine de Droits Humains

CNDH

–

Conseil national des droits de l’Homme

– in English: National Human Rights Council

EASO

– European Asylum Support Office

LGBT

– Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

LGBTIQ

– Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer

NGO

– Non-governmental organisation – in French:

ONG – Organisation non gouvernementale

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Executive summary

According to article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code, homosexual acts are a criminal offence punishable

with six months to three years of imprisonment and a fine ranging from 200 to 1,000 Moroccan Dirhams.

part of the population is fiercely hostile towards LGBT people and there have been public demonstrations

against homosexuals, violent intrusions in private homes as well as public denunciations of presumed

homosexual individuals.

LGBT persons in Morocco are exposed to additional risk of social rejection, prejudice and violence

compared to heterosexual Moroccans. This marginalisation permeates the public and the private sphere,

but not all subgroups of the LGBT community are exposed to the same type of threats of violence.

Homosexual men, especially those who are perceived as effeminate and male-to-female transgender

persons are particularly exposed of being victims of physical assaults and eviction from the family home if

they still live with their parents. Young unmarried lesbians are more exposed to forced marriage or to

confinement in the home. LGBT persons belonging to the intellectual and cultural elite, and who are

financially independent from their parents, are to some extent protected from violence in the public and

private sphere. LGBT persons from a working class or middle class background are more exposed to violent

assaults. The tactics employed by members of the LGBT community to avoid threats of homophobic

violence include self-censorship and caution about how to walk, talk and behave in public areas.

According to four interviewed sources, it is almost impossible for an LGBT person fearing for his or her

safety to obtain efficient protection by the police. Two of these sources further explained that an LGBT

person would avoid showing up at a local police station out of fear of being arrested for homosexuality or

being met with stereotyped questions and prejudice. One source claimed that it is possible to obtain police

protection.

Several sources noted than in cases of public assaults by a mob, the police forces had intervened and saved

the victims from extreme danger by bringing the homophobic attacks to an end.

There have been a number of cases brought to trial in 2015 and 2016 invoking article 489 where men have

been found guilty of committing homosexual acts, some based on confessions of the defendants obtained

at the police station and signed without the presence of a lawyer. The level of convictions range from four

months to one year of imprisonment with fines of 500 Dirhams, however, convictions above four months

were given for more than one violations of the Penal Code, e.g. homosexual act and illegal sale of alcohol.

Sources noted that the Appeals Courts chose not to apply maximum penalties, often in spite of aggressive

demonstrations by the public calling for severe punishments. Although article 489 of the Penal Code does

not criminalise homosexual identity or expression, it was the opinion of some sources that the fact that

most convictions were not sustained by the required technical evidence (eyewitnesses of actual sexual acts

or true confessions), people were being convicted for being homosexual.

The government stated that it tolerates NGOs working in favour of LGBT rights. Existing LGBT activist

groups operate as unregistered organisations to avoid being visible to the authorities and the public.

Corresponding to approximately 20 and 100 USD.

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The conditions in Moroccan prisons are precarious in general. LGBT people constitute a vulnerable group

while imprisoned.

Methodology

This report is based on interviews with sources in Morocco conducted by the Country of Origin Information

Division, Danish Immigration Service (DIS) in Rabat, from 9 - 18 October 2016. The purpose of the mission

was to collect up to date information on issues recurring in cases regarding Moroccan asylum seekers in

Denmark with regard to the situation of unaccompanied minors, the situation of LGBT people and double

jeopardy. The findings regarding unaccompanied minors and double jeopardy are reported in separate

reports.

The present report focuses on the situation of minors in Morocco, including the legislative framework, the

different types of violence that LGBT persons can be at risk of in Morocco, their possibility for seeking help

from the authorities, organisations of the LGBT community, and examples of trials as well as conditions in

prisons.

The terms of reference for the mission were drawn up by DIS in consultation with the Danish Refugee

Appeals Board as well as a Danish advisory group on COI.

The terms of reference are included at Appendix

E to this report. The report draws on methodological inspiration from the EASO report on researching the

situation of LGBT people in countries of origin.

In the process of compiling the report, the delegation interviewed six sources, comprising representatives

from the Moroccan authorities, international organisations, academics and non-governmental

organisations (NGOs). For background information, the delegation also talked with employees from

western embassies. The Danish Embassy in Rabat provided valuable assistance in identifying some of the

interlocutors relevant to the terms of reference. The Danish Embassy also provided logistical assistance

during the mission. The sources interviewed were selected by the delegation based on their expertise,

merit and experience relevant to the mission. In addition to the empirical data material gathered from the

interviews, the report is also based on available reports as well as academic articles of relevance for the

terms of reference. Since cases of violence against LGBT people are widely reported in the media, press

articles have also been included as sources.

The sources consulted during the mission to Morocco are listed in Appendix C. The interviews were

conducted in either French or English according to the convenience of the interlocutors. Meeting notes,

originally recorded in French, have been translated into English. All the notes of meetings are provided in

English in Appendix A. Notes for those interviews which were originally conducted in French are provided in

Appendix B. A brief description of the source is included in the meeting notes. In terms of language, it has

been the intention to avoid confusion in terminology, but at the same time respecting the variety of terms

The group consists of Danish Refugee Council, Amnesty International in Denmark, Danish Institute for Human Rights, Dignity,

representatives of two Christian organisations (Danish European Mission and Open Doors), the National Commissioner of Police

and the Danish Bar and Law Society (representing asylum lawyers).

European Union: European Asylum Support Office (EASO) (2015). Researching the situation of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons

(LGB) in countries of origin. EASO Practical Guides Series. April 2015. Available at:

https://www.easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/public/Researching-the-situation-of-LGB-in-countries-of-origin-FINAL-080515.pdf

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

used by different interlocutors. Therefore, in the notes LGBT is sometimes being used LGBT (Lesbian, gay,

bisexual and transgender), sometimes LGBTIQ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer) and

sometimes homosexuals to refer to the social group which is in focus in this report.

The interlocutors were asked how they wished to be introduced and quoted, and all sources are introduced

and quoted according to their own wishes. Six sources are referred to by their name and/or the name of

their organisation; in accordance with their own request on this matter. One source, the representative

from the Aswat group, requested not to be mentioned by name.

The sources consulted were informed about the purpose of the mission and the fact that their statements

would be included in a report to be made publically available.

The meeting notes were validated by the sources. All notes were forwarded to the interlocutors for their

approval and amendment, allowing the opportunity to offer corrections or make comment on their

statements. All sources but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation approved their statements. This

source was contacted by email and informed that the delegation would include the note in the report if no

response was received by the deadline. The delegation never received any response.

The report is a synthesis of the sources' statements and does not include all details from the meeting notes.

In the report, care has been taken to present the views of the interlocutors as accurately and transparently

as possible and reference is made by number to the specific paragraphs in the meeting notes in foot notes

in the report. All sources’ approved statements are found in their full extent in Appendix A and B of this

report.

The report was finalised in January 2017.

The report is available on the websites of DIS,

www.newtodenmark.dk

and thus is available to all

stakeholders in the refugee status determination process as well as to the general public.

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

1. Background

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy and a Muslim country which follows Islamic law and social norms.

The government, which operates under the authority of King Mohammed VI, seeks to appease existing

tensions between religious conservative groups and modern and progressive groups. The government

seeks to find a fine balance between a discourse praising traditional Muslim values and at the same time

tolerating that a group of citizens are homosexual.

The government is concerned with on the one hand

maintaining public order, and on the other hand respecting international human rights standards. The King

has on several occasions demonstrated a certain tolerance towards cultural manifestations which

introduced gay performers regardless of vivid opposition by Islamic political parties, e.g. by not disallowing

British singer Elton John to perform at a national music festival.

Books by the internationally celebrated

writer and film maker Abdella Taia, known for the sexual and provocative content, are also released in

Morocco despite the fact that Taia has left Rabat for Paris with reference to the hostile atmosphere

towards homosexual men.

Whereas the Sharia law is severe in its condemnation of homosexuality

and Morocco’s Penal Code remains

categorical in its criminalisation of homosexual acts despite several calls for a reform process,

the sexual

culture in Morocco is far from static.

According to a researcher, who had studied gender relations and

sexual culture in Morocco for the past 30 years, sexual culture has evolved in a more secularised

direction.

The Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH –

Conseil national des droits de l’Homme)

added that Morocco has gone through profound changes in the socio-cultural fabric of society.

Previously,

conservative, religious values strongly influenced sexual practices whereas these practices now are

increasingly being influenced by secular values, regardless of the fact that conservative values still

permeate the dominant religious discourse.

According to the Moroccan National Council of Human Rights

(CNDH), a fraction of Moroccans are strongly advocating the protection of traditional religious values and

are vividly and at times violently opposed to any recognition of civic rights to homosexuals.

A legal expert

said that the Moroccan society is influenced by two tendencies: one part of the population is rather neutral

in their views of same-sex practices and not engaged in neither opposition to nor defense of homosexuals’

US Department of State (2015). International Religious Freedom Report for 2015: Morocco. Available at: available at:

http://www.refworld.org/docid/57add84c6d.html

[accessed 30 January 2017]

US Department of State (2015).

Morocco 2015 Human Rights Report,

updated 5/23/2016:

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/253151.pdf

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation: 1, 2

Figueredo MA (2015). An Examination of Factors that Catalyze LGBTQ Movements in Middle Eastern and North

African Authoritarian Regimes:35-36.

Dissertations and Theses.

Paper 2478. Available at:

http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3483&context=open_access_etds

The Guardian (2014). Abdellah Taïa: 'In Arab countries, homosexuality is a crime. This has to change'. 3 October

2014. Available at:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/03/abdellah-taia-salvation-army-interview-armee-

du-salut-homosexuality-morocco

Baily S (2013). Sexuality and Development in the Maghreb: Origins of Institutionalized Homophobia and the

Disruption of Development : 5-16. Master Thesis. Brandis University. Available at:

http://bir.brandeis.edu/handle/10192/24711

Dialmy: 43, Noyadi: 34

Dialmy: 52

Dialmy: 51, 52

CNDH: 3

Dialmy: 51, 52

CNDH: 3

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rights; another part which in the light of a conservative interpretation of Islam finds that homosexuality is

an abomination. Apart from these two tendencies, there is an intellectual elite in favour of a formal and

practical recognition of homosexuals’ civil rights but that does not have without any formal or real

influence at the political level.

Nouaydi:34

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2. Situation of LGBT persons in Morocco

2.1 The legislative framework relating to sexuality

According to article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code, written in 1962, homosexual acts are a criminal

offence. This article reads ’any person who commits lewd acts or acts against the nature together with an

individual of the same sex is liable to a penalty of imprisonment ranging from six months to three years and

a fine ranging from 200 to 1,000 Moroccan dirhams

unless the circumstances of the offence do not

constitute an aggravating factor’.

All six interviewed sources pointed to national legislation with reference

to article 489.

Three sources, a legal expert, an independent researcher, and an NGO added that this article should be

seen in the context of the two subsequent articles of the Penal Code which also explicitly address human

sexuality, namely article 490, which criminalises sexual relations between two unmarried persons; and

article 491 which criminalises adultery.

For the first category of infraction, the punishment is from one

month to one year of imprisonment, for the second the punishment is between one and two years of

imprisonment.

Article 489 of the Penal Code prohibits homosexual acts and not homosexual identity or expression.

However, the interviewed researcher noted that the article is formulated so that it indirectly hinders any

form of formalised collective action carried out by organisations supporting homosexuals’ human rights.

According to the observations of this source, article 489 serves as a platform which turns denunciations of

suspected homosexual practices into a citizen duty.

2.2 Exposure to violence by subgroups of LGBT persons

Sources concurred that Moroccans of LGBT sexual orientation face societal marginalisation. Four sources

explicitly noted that LGBT persons are a vulnerable group which is exposed to additional risk of social

rejection and aggression in the public sphere compared to heterosexual Moroccans.

Several sources noted that there are no scientific studies on the nature of violence that LGBT persons in

Morocco are victims of or studies on the national prevalence of violence.

Based on the interviewed

researcher’s observations gathered over a period of three decades and widely published, he suggested

dividing the violence that LGBT persons are exposed to into three different forms: physical; societal; and

institutional violence.

Physical violence includes intrusions in the homes of assumed gay couples, assaults and other forms of

physical humiliation such as being stripped naked and video filmed. In several cases these videos have been

widely shared via social media (Facebook and YouTube) and released online. For LGBT people in prison,

Corresponding approximately to 20 and 100 USD.

Penal Code : Dahir n° 1-59-413 du 28 joumada II 1382 (26 novembre 1962). Available in French at

http://adala.justice.gov.ma/production/legislation/fr/penal/Code%20Penal.htm

Aswat : 8, Dialmy 42

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 1, CNDH:17, AMDH: 13, Aswat : 8, Nouaydi: 33, Dialmy 42

Nouaydi: 33, Dialmy: 42, AMDH : 13

Penal Code : Dahir n° 1-59-413 du 28 joumada II 1382 (26 novembre 1962). Available in French at

http://adala.justice.gov.ma/production/legislation/fr/penal/Code%20Penal.htm

Dialmy: 43, 45.

CNDH: 3, AMDH: 11, Aswat: 26, Dialmy: 42

Dialmy: 50, Nouaydi: 35, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation: 1

Dialmy: 50

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

physical violence could also include the risk of rape by fellow inmates (please refer to section 2.5 Examples

of trials involving homosexuality).

Societal violence comprises a variety of reactions by people in the public as well as in the private sphere

and is enacted by neighbours, employers and landlords, and by close family members, in particular the

father as head of household, as well as by family-in-law. The reactions from an employer could be that a

person who has been revealed as homosexual would be fired from his or her job. A landlord would be

unlikely to accept a homosexual tenant and could end the lease agreement. Reactions from family

members vary depending on the internal dynamics within each household. However, sources stated that

there could be severe repercussions if family members discovered a member of the family in a sexual act

with a person of the same sex or in another kind of situation which alluded to homosexuality. The

repercussions could be eviction from the family home, forced marriage, forced divorce or confinement in

the home. The sanctions could also take the form of sustained withdrawal of the small amount of pocket

money that most young adults who live with their families receive from their parents or rejection and

psychological pressure by close family members, in particular the mother.

Institutional violence, according to the interviewed researcher, is an impersonal form of violence which is

expressed in the Penal Code of Morocco and its intention to control sexual relations between consenting

adults by legal means.

According to the source, this form of violence affects the poorest citizens

disproportionally hard compared to the elite.

According to the interviewed legal expert, this desire to

control human sexuality is in conflict with the individual citizen’s right to protection of their private life as

stipulated in article 24 of the Moroccan Constitution of 2011 as well as with international human rights

standards.

The different subgroups of LGBT people are exposed to differentiated risks. The most vulnerable are

homosexual men who are perceived as effeminate and male-to-female transgender persons.

They are in

particular risk of being thrown out of the family home. In one case where a man was discovered in a sexual

situation with another man, he was forced to divorce his wife upon request by the family, regardless of the

fact that the wife did not state any wish for a divorce.

By contrast, young unmarried women who live in

the family home and are revealed as lesbians are more likely to be forced into marriage against their will or

confined within the family home.

Class also influences to which extent a person who has been ‘outed’ as homosexual is vulnerable. People

who are wealthy, financially independent from their family and who belong to a liberal milieu, e.g. the

universities, are to a large extent protected from homophobic aggression in the street as well as in their

private life. They are in a position which allows them to express their gender identity more freely. Even if

they are arrested by the police, they are likely to be able to be released without any further sanctions.

contrast, people from the middle class or the working class are more exposed to violence by groups or

Dialmy: 50

Dialmy : 50, Aswat: 25-26, Nouaydi: 39

Dialmy : 50

Dialmy: 42

Nouaydi: 33

Aswat: 25, AMDH: 16

Dialmy: 50

Aswat: 25

Aswat: 23

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individuals in the public sphere. Those groups, especially young adults, are financially dependent on

support from their family and therefore vulnerable to loss of employment or eviction from home. This

group is likely to seek to conceal any sexual orientation that does not follow social acceptable norms.

2.3 LGBT communities and safe spaces in Moroccan society

Two of the sources, most vividly the LGBT activist group, noted that LGBT persons’ participation in public

life is restrained because they, as LGBT persons, need to hide the sexual orientation part of their identity to

avoid being threatened with violence.

There are few places in the public sphere where an LGBT person could be and still walk, act and dress the

way he or she desires. This practice of self-imposed restraint in the public sphere includes showing caution

about with whom to talk to.

There are no restaurants or cafés with an open or explicit ‘gay identity’ in

Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and there has been none for an extended period of time.

There are certain

cafés in Rabat which are known for tolerating the presence of homosexual clients.

To compensate for the absence of safe public spaces, many LGBT people prefer to meet in private homes or

in groups at cafés known for tolerating LGBT people as clients.

The internet has to some extent come to form an alternative, unregulated and safe space for LGBT persons

or ‘a space of freedom’, according to one source.

Whereas the state apparatus is perceived by the sources

to have a good level of control over any form of collective action such as public demonstrations, it is much

less efficient in controlling the virtual space and social media. The online LGBT magazine

Akaliyat

(meaning

‘minority’) is an expression of LGBT outreach activities on the internet.

Similarly, since 2013, Aswat has

used its online ‘Aswat Magazine’ as a forum for communication and interaction within the LGBT

community. In addition to these online forums, Moroccan LGBT people make use of certain apps (software

programs used on smart phones) to connect and to organise meetings as well as dates.

According to the

interviewed researcher, the Government chooses to tolerate the existence of pro-homosexual social

media.

There are some known LGBT organisations in Morocco, but they are informally rather than formally

organised. The first known gay rights advocacy organisation was

Kif Kif

(meaning ‘same same’) founded in

Aswat: 23

Aswat: 24, 31, Dialmy : 45

Aswat: 22, 31

Aswat: 31, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,

Morocco: Situation of lesbians; treatment by the

authorities and society; state protection available; assistance or other organizations for the homosexual community in

Morocco, including bars, restaurants, etc.,

3 June 2004, MAR42699.FE. Available at

http://www.refworld.org/docid/41501c301f.html

Aswat: 31

Aswat: 32

Aswat: 32, Figueredo MA (2015). An Examination of Factors that Catalyze LGBTQ Movements in Middle Eastern and

North African Authoritarian Regimes: 37.

Dissertations and Theses.

Paper 2478. Available at:

http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3483&context=open_access_etds

Aswat: 20

Dialmy : 49

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2005.

From its headquarter in Spain, Kif Kif had among other activities initiated Morocco’s first gay

magasine Mithly (meaning ‘the

same as me’).

According to one source, Kif Kif is no longer active in

Morocco.

Another organisation is

Aswat

(meaning Voices). Aswat is a well-known collective of individuals who since

2012 have worked together on an ad hoc basis for the rights of LGBTIQ persons in Morocco.

One of the

goals of Aswat’s activities is to promote a reform of the law which penalises homosexuality and to abolish

Act no 489. Aswat operates anonymously according to the source, and has deliberately chosen not to be an

officially registered NGO and not to have a formal office out of fear of being persecuted by the

authorities.

Not being an official NGO, Aswat cannot ask for permission to organise demonstrations or campaigns in the

public sphere. However, one source noted that Aswat has diligently used the opportunity of other

demonstrations organised by registered NGOs to carve out a space for their collective in the margin of the

official demonstrations to promote their own cause without the police interfering. The source noted that

when Aswat used the space of other organisations to insert their own demonstration, they toned down

their slogans to avoid provocations.

2.4 State protection available

The sources disagreed on whether or not it is possible for an LGBT person who fears for his or her safety to

ask for and obtain protection by the authorities at the local police station.

One source, the National Council on Human Right (CNDH), stated that, as a general rule, it is possible for an

LGBT person to obtain protection by the authorities.

If he or she experienced police abuse, it would be as

a result of the individual police officer’s misconduct rather than the expression of a generalised conduct

being sanctioned at a higher level within the police.

By contrast, AMDH stated that it was not possible for

LGBT persons to obtain protection by the authorities; Aswat stated that it was almost impossible to obtain

protection from the authorities; according to the legal expert and the researcher, homosexuals prefer

facing homophobic assaults rather than showing up at a police station and ask for protection where they

might risk being arrested for homosexuality.

One source, the Aswat member, supported this statement

with an example of a fruitless attempt to report repeated homophobic acts of physical violence to the local

police.

The Aswat member had accompanied a transperson to the police station without revealing any

Figueredo MA (2015). An Examination of Factors that Catalyze LGBTQ Movements in Middle Eastern and North

African Authoritarian Regimes: 37.

Dissertations and Theses.

Paper 2478. Available at:

http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3483&context=open_access_etds

Hirsch K (2016). A Critical Analysis of the Public Sphere: How the LGBTQ Movement Utilizes and Occupies Space in

Morocco pp 23 - 25. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2380. Available at

http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2380

Dialmy : 53

Aswat: 20, Dialmy 53

Aswat: 20, Hirsch K (2016). A Critical Analysis of the Public Sphere: How the LGBTQ Movement Utilizes and Occupies

Space in Morocco pp 27 - 30. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2380. Available at

http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2380/

Dialmy : 53

CNDH: 5

AMDH: 17, Aswat: 30, Noyadi: 40, Dialmy: 46

Aswat: 30

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

belonging to an LGBT organisation to the police officer who received them. The source described in detail

how the gendarme on duty interacted with the transperson. According to the observations of the Aswat

member, the gendarme asked questions in a stereotyped way, expressed prejudice and deliberately sought

to lure the transperson into revealing a homosexual identity in a manner which our interlocutor

retrospectively found was an attempt to use that to prosecute the person by invoking article 489. Although

the gendarme accepted to receive the file of complaints, no further investigation was processed. The

explanation offered by the police, according to the source, was a pretext alluding to the investigation being

complicated. Further to that, the source stated that although a police officer cannot decline to receive a

complaint by a citizen, the police can effectively hinder the file from being processed by letting the case

drag for an extended period of time until the point where the victim is tired out from what stands out as

endless administrative procedures.

Sources from the AMDH stated that to their knowledge, the risk related to engaging with topics concerning

homosexuality did not only apply to LGBT people but also to lawyers who accepted to defend people

accused of homosexuality: a lawyer who agrees to represent a person accused of breaching article 489

would be at risk of verbal abuse.

The interviewed legal expert noted that the wider consequences of the existing barriers to state protection

for LGBT persons were that they also avoided seeking help from the legal system in cases of domestic

violence or unfair dismissal from their place of work.

This observation was shared by the interviewed

researcher who noted that a homosexual person would avoid showing up at a police station out of fear of

having his or her homosexuality used as a reason to arrest him or her.

Two sources stated that in light of the fact that the hostility and the rage against homosexuals in Moroccan

society is strong within large groups of the population, risk of being victim of rough mob violence by a was

in reality higher than that of being abused by the police forces.

These two sources found that in the public

sphere the police often ended up protecting homosexuals who were being assaulted by groups of people

from much danger and even death through their interventions to control the situation.

Further to the topic of the role played by state representatives vis-à-vis the public animosity against

homosexuals, the interviewed legal expert noted that currently judges chose not to apply maximum

sentences despite the public view on homosexuality as an abomination and in favour of maximum

sentences.

With regard to a specific case, the researcher took note that the court decided not to uphold

maximum punishment.

2.5 Examples of trials involving homosexuality

The sources disagreed on the numbers of charges referring to article 489 of Morocco’s Penal Code.

According to the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), there had been four to five cases at courts of first

instance in 2015

whereas the legal expert stated there had been between ten and twenty cases in 2015

Aswat: 30

AMDH: 18

Nouaydi: 40

Dialmy: 46

CNDH: 5, Dialmy: 46, 49

Nouaydi: 34, 37

Dialmy: 47

CNDH: 4

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

and 2016.

It has not been possible to verify the exact number of trials at courts of first instance with other

sources.

The interviewed sources were asked to mention specific cases which had been brought to trial. The

following cases which cover the period from 2014 to 2016, except for one case which took place in 2007,

are listed below in chronological order:

1. 2007, the case of Ksar El Kébir: On 10 December 2007, six men were convicted of homosexual acts

(Act no 489) in a trial held in the town of Ksar El Kébir. The men were arrested in November after a

denunciation of a presumed ‘gay party’ held in a private house. Video footage of this party was

shared online in Morocco and shown at court. The Court of Appeal upheld the sentences but

lowered them so that one defendant was sentenced to ten months of imprisonment as a combined

conviction for homosexual acts and illegal sale of alcohol, whereas three others were sentenced to

six months of imprisonment and two defendants to four months of imprisonment.

2. 2014, the case of Al-Hoceima: On 30 December 2014, two men were convicted of homosexual acts

(Act no 489) and ‘outrage of public decency’ (Act no 483) by the Court of Appeal in the city of Al-

Hoceima. The two men were arrested in December and presented before a judge at a court of first

instance only five days hereafter. They were found guilty based on a confession obtained while

detained; a confession which they withdrew in court. The court opted to consider the confessions

regardless hereof. No eyewitness was called. The Court of Appeal upheld the convictions but

reduced the sentences so that one defendant was sentenced to one year of imprisonment as a

combined conviction for homosexual acts and attempted bribery (Act no 251) and the other

defendant was convicted to six months of imprisonment.

3. 2015, the case of Tour Hassan: On 19 June 2015, two men were sentenced for violating article 489.

The two men were assaulted on 9 March outside the Mosque at the Hassan tower, a historic

building and a famous tourist site in Rabat, where they posed for a photo, standing close together.

They were arrested on 5 June and presented before a judge who sentenced both of the defendants

to four months of imprisonment and a fine of 500 Dirhams. This trial has been linked to the widely

reported and highly sensitive episode where two French women, members of the feminist

collective FEMEN, were arrested and deported from Morocco after having kissed, topless, in front

of the same Hassan tower.

Nouaydi: 35

Nouaydi : 36-38, Amnesty International (2008). Morocco/ Western Sahara: Drop charges of homosexuality against

six men and ensure their safety. 16 January 2008. Available at:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-

releases/2008/01/morocco-western-sahara-drop-charges-homosexuality-against-six-men-and-en/

AMDH: 14, Human Rights Watch (2015). Morocco: Two Sentenced on Homosexuality Charge. March 4, 2015.

Available at:

www.hrw.org/news/2015/03/04/morocco-two-sentenced-homosexuality-charge

AMDH: 14, Aswat: 26, Dialmy: 48 Le Monde (2015). Maroc: Quatre mois de prison pour deux hommes accusés de

s’être embrassés en public. 19 June 2015.

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/19/maroc-quatre-mois-de-

prison-pour-deux-hommes-accuses-de-s-etre-embrasses-en-public_4658281_3212.html

The Guardian (2015).

Moroccan gay men to serve four months for posing close together for photograph. 22 June 2015. Available at:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/22/moroccan-gay-men-four-months-prison-photograph

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4. 2016, the Beni-Mellal case: On 15 March 2016, one man was found guilty in violating article 489 by

a court of first instance in the city of Beni-Mellal. Two men had been assaulted in a private home in

Beni-Mella by four men who forced their entry and pushed them naked out into the street where

they were beaten up and filmed by an angry mob was crying anti-homosexual utterances. The

videos were later shared on Facebook and YouTube. One of the two men had been sentenced to

four months of imprisonment and a fine of 500 Dirham for ’sexual

acts against nature‘

and for

‘public

drunkenness’.

Two of the attackers were also brought to trial and they were found guilty in

assault and sentenced two month suspended sentences. Journalists from

Le Petit Journal

were

arrested in Beni-Mellal after attempting to investigate the case in the neighbourhood where the

two victims were living. These journalists were arrested after being

‘denounced’

by members of the

local community.

5. 2016, the case of Guelmim: Two men were found guilty with reference to article 489 by a court of

first instance. They had been arrested on 26 May 2016 after they were found by gendarmes in a car

parked in a deserted place on the outskirts of the town of Guelmim. The City Court of Guelmim

sentenced the two men to six months of imprisonment.

In one case (the case of Ksar El Kébir) the legal expert found that the defendants were in reality being

convicted for being homosexuals rather than for committing any homosexual acts. Although the conviction

reads that the accused were guilty of practicing homosexuality, the source found that since no technical

evidence of sexual acts had been presented at court (the video footage showed scenes from a private party

among men), the case was not sustained.

This points to the nature of the evidence which is required to prove a case raised under article 489. Two

sources, the legal expert and the researcher, concurred that either four eye witnesses willing to testify that

the sexual act took place or a confession by the accused would constitute formal evidence in court.

However, as this kind of technical evidence, which requires that someone catches individuals in the actual

act, is difficult to obtain, these two sources found that many cases which were presented before a judge

were based on confession by the accused. However, according to the experience of the legal expert from

defending people being accused of homosexual acts, the decisive piece of evidence for judges are police

reports which he found often happened to be false and produced at the police station. The detained person

had often been forced to sign the police report without the presence of a lawyer. Furthermore, the police

report was often not presented to the lawyer which made it difficult to prepare a robust line of defense.

Therefore, the source concluded, the risk of being sentenced to a punishment was ‘real’ for anyone who

was brought before the judge: once in the courtroom the defendant was very likely to be found guilty

based on their presumed sexual orientation.

AMDH : 14, Dialmy 47, Aswat : 28, Nouyadi : 38, Têtu (website associated with the French gay magazine ‘Têtu’):

Les

agressions homophobes sont le quotidien de la population LGBTI au Maroc selon Aswat,

by Jérémie Lacroix – 8 April

2016. Available at :

http://tetu.com/2016/04/08/entretien-collectif-aswat-maroc/

AMDH: 14

Nouaydi: 36

Nouaydi: 35, Dialymy: 44

Noyadi: 35

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According to the observations of the interviewed legal expert, the judges tend to apply minimum sentences

of imprisonment and minimum fines in spite of a public opinion and angry demonstrations calling for

heavier punishments.

However, two sources emphasised that the consequences of having been detained accused of

homosexuality could have as many negative repercussions as the conviction itself. Even if a case never was

presented before a judge, the social shame could be devastating in terms of social stigmatisation if it came

to the knowledge of family and neighbours.

2.6 Conditions in prisons for incarcerated LGBT persons

In Morocco, lawyers are allowed to visit their clients in prison and so are persons affiliated with the

National Human Rights Council (CNDH), whereas other civil society organisations, such as the Moroccan

Association of Human Rights (AMDH), are not allowed by the authorities to visit prisons.

The sources concurred that LGBT persons constitute a vulnerable group in prisons (like women, minors,

people with disabilities, foreigners and people who use drugs).

However, one source added that LGBT

prisoners often face additional hardship compared to heterosexual prisoners because of their sexual

orientation and that they might risk rape by other inmates.

LGBT persons use tactics such as concealing

their sexual orientation and gender identity to avoid insults and harassment while imprisoned.

Because of

the risk of physical abuse, LGBT prisoners might wish for an individual cell. The CNDH stated that in general,

the prison management was responsive to such requests.

According to a report published by CNDH, prisons in Morocco are in a state of ‘crisis’.

Congestion rates are

estimated to 200 – 300 percent and the infrastructure as well as the operation of the prisons need to be

improved to conform to international standards.

Another source added that the conditions for inmates

are precarious in that prisoners have limited access to basic health care; the food is served in insufficient

quantities and access to recreational activities is insufficient.

The same source found that prison managers

fail to live up to their duty to inform prisoners about existing rules and regulations so that prisoners have a

chance to adapt their conduct and to know their rights and obligations.

Nouaydi: 37

Nouaydi: 39. Dialmy : 44

CNDH : 4, AMDH : 19, Noaydi : 41

CNDH : 8, Dialmy : 50

Dialymy : 50

CNDH : 8

CNDH (2012) La crise des prisons: Une responsabilité partagée. Rapport sur la situation dans les prisons et les droits

des détenus. Octobre 2012. Available at

http://cndh.ma/sites/default/files/crise_des_prisons_-rapport_integral.pdf

CNDH : 7

Nouaydi : 41

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Appendix A: meeting notes (English version)

1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

Interview with Mustapha El Bouazaoui, Consular and Social Affairs

10 October 2016, Rabat

The conversation with Mustapha El Bouazaoui began with a survey of the socio-political situation in the

Moroccan society. The Director of the Department of Consular and Social Affairs gave a statement about

the three issues submitted by the Danish Mission in the following order: the situation of unaccompanied

minors, the situation of LGBT persons and double punishment. He emphasised the need for subsequent

consulting the ministries and associations specializing in each field in order to provide further information.

The situation for homosexuals

1. As far as sexual orientation is concerned, the Moroccan Government recognises that homosexuality

is a modern phenomenon that exists in every society across the world. In Morocco, Article 489 of

the Penal Code states, ’any person who commits lewd acts or acts against the nature together with

an individual of the same sex is liable to a penalty of imprisonment ranging from six months to

three years and a fine ranging from 200 to 1,000 Moroccan dirhams unless the circumstances of

the offence do not constitute an aggravating factor‘. At present, the Government does not have

sufficient data regarding the extent of this phenomenon in Morocco. The Government has stated

that there are a number of organisations promoting the rights of LGBT persons in Morocco and that

a number of media agencies contribute to the debate on homosexual issues. The Government

cooperates in particular with the National Human Rights Council (Conseil

national des droits de

l’Homme

- CNDH) in order to promote human rights and a citizenship culture, including persons of

homosexual and lesbian orientation.

2. It is important for the Moroccan Government to avoid any provocation of the public view, which is

currently rather conservative as far as social values and conduct are concerned. The issue of

homosexuality must necessarily be analysed from several perspectives: on one hand, the necessity

to maintain a balance and to protect public order and on the other hand, to respect human rights.

At present, Moroccan politicians are confronted with the necessity to adapt the religious factor to

existing international human rights conventions.

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National Council of Human Rights (Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme

CNDH)

Interview with Abderrafie Hamdi, Director, Khalid Hanefioui, Project Manager, Abdelhak Eddouk,

Programme Manager, Aminata Pagni, Programme Manager, Ayoub El Karoubi, Programme Manager,

Rabat, 17 October 2016

The National Council of Human Rights (Conseil

National des Droits de l’Homme -

CNDH) is a national

institution mandated to monitor the human rights situation on a national and regional level in Morocco. The

National Council of Human Rights consists of regional commissions and monitors, together with the relevant

authorities, the protection of human rights in Morocco.

3. According to the Council, the issue of homosexuality and transsexuality must be seen in the context

of individual liberty and must be examined with a point of departure in today’s context of profound

socio-political changes and the current change of value systems. According to the delegation from

the Council, the current opposition to LGBT persons and their human rights is primarily driven by a

fraction of the population, those who are vividly engaged in the defence of traditional values. It is

neither the courts or tribunals nor the Government that are driving this opposition. In

contemporary society, LGBT people constitute a vulnerable group. LGBT people keep a low profile

and resort to self-censorship to avoid problems.

4. To the best knowledge of the Council, there have been four or five cases where a person has been

brought to court accused of a homosexual criminal offence in 2015. The Council followed the

development of those cases. The Council has visited the families of persons who had been accused

of a homosexual offence as well as the persons under accusation at the facility where they were

being detained.

Protection by the authorities

5. According to the Council, a LGBT person who fears for his or her security can request for and obtain

police protection. If the person in question is experiencing abuse at a police station, it is rather due

to the lack of discipline and respect for the law on the part of the individual police officer than a

direct consequence of the person’s sexual orientation. According to the representatives of the

Council, a homosexual individual who fears for his or her life is more likely to be actively protected

against harassment and violence by the police than by people in the streets.

Situation for LGBT persons in detention

6. The Council has been able to carry out visits in prisons in Morocco. The Council has established a

working group whose assignment is to monitor the situation in prison facilities in Morocco. This

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

group has elaborated a consulting report about the conditions for detainees in prison which was

published in 2012.

7. The representatives of the Council emphasised that the normative framework, policies and

regulations as far as the physical facilities and space within prisons are concerned should be

developed furthermore to be brought into compliance with international standards. For the time

being, prison congestion is estimated to vary from 200 to 300 percent. To address the capacity

problems of prison facilities, 10 new prisons are now under construction and planned to open in

2016.

8. In prisons, in Morocco as well as elsewhere, power struggles influence every social relation

between the prisoners. According to the observations made by the representatives of the Council’s,

LGBT prisoners seek to conceal their sexual orientation in order to avoid harassment. At present, it

is difficult to assess the exact number of prisoners having committed an offence of section 489 of

the Penal Code. This is also the case with the number of prisoners of LGBT orientation. LGBT

persons are a vulnerable group in the prisons (just like women, children, people living with

disabilities persons, foreigners, people who use drugs and prisoners suffering from chronic

diseases). During his visits in the prisons, a representative of the Council have been discreetly

approached by prisoners and asked about an individual cell. The wish for individual cells is

frequently justified by the fear of being victims of sexual harassment. In the experience of this

Council representative, prison managers are responsive to such requests.

9. The Council has received more than 1,200 complaints either from prisoners or from their families

over the past years. The complaints are, among other things, about the treatment of the prisoners,

however, none of the complaints have referred to homosexuality.

3. Moroccan Association of Human Rights (Association Marocaine de Droits

Humains

–

AMDH)

Interview with Khadija Ainani, Vice President, and Said Tbel, member of the central board

12 October 2016, Rabat

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (Association Marocaine de Droits Humain - AMDH) is a non-

governmental organisation making efforts to raise awareness on the topic of human rights and to draw

attention to any violation of those rights in Moroccan society. AMDH has a national network of 10 regional

sections divided into 97 local sections. AMDH is associated with the United Nations Economic and Social

Council (ECOSOC). AMDH is publishing reports on the status of human rights in Morocco on a regular basis.

CNDH (2012). La crise des prisons: Une responsabilité partagée. Rapport sur la situation dans les prisons et les droits

des détenus. October 2012. Available at

http://cndh.ma/sites/default/files/crise_des_prisons_-rapport_integral.pdf

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The human rights situation of LGBT persons in Morocco

10. The AMDH stated that the current situation is characterised by a stigmatising and conservative

politico-religious discourse attempting to discredit LGBT persons. Although the Government on the

one hand tolerates the existence of a homosexual community, on the other hand, it offers quasi-

impunity to persons and groups who have been harassing homosexuals or even lynching

homosexuals, in the public space. This tolerance towards harassment in the streets actually

increases the risk of being exposed to violence for persons who are perceived to be of LGBT

orientation. In addition to this, they often face intimidation within the family where homosexuality

is only rarely tolerated. The only safe public space in the Moroccan society is the university milieu

where intellectuals are known for being rather tolerant.

11. According to observations made by the AMDH, the current situation for LGBT persons in Morocco is

characterised by a strategy of self-censorship in which homosexuals seek to avoid any attention. It

is necessary to downplay one’s homosexual identity in the public space as well as within the family.

Aggressions may be caused by if a person dresses that is considered to incompatible with prevailing

norms, due to the fact that two persons of the same sex live together or simply being seen in a

situation with a person of the same sex.

12. As a consequence of such self-censorship, LGBT persons are reluctant to approach existing health

care services when they suspect to suffer from a sexual health related problem out of fear of being

exposed to prejudices by the health workers when they discover their LGBT identity. According to

AMDH, this reluctance has a negative impact on the effective access to HIV/AIDS prevention

services, as there are no medical services targeting LGBT persons. Stigmatisation is also a common

practice within in the health sector.

13. The two AMDH representatives stated that AMDH, being an organisation for the defense of human

rights, including individual rights, makes efforts to abolish Article 489 of the Penal Code, which

criminalises same-sex relations. Moreover, AMDH notes that it is not only Article 489 which

constitutes an infringement of individual liberties, but also Articles 490 and 491 (addressing sexual

relations both related to adultery as well as between unmarried persons) of the same Penal Code

with also criminalises sexual relations between consenting heterosexual adults.

Violence against LGBT persons

14. The AMDH representatives emphasised that the AMDH is thoroughly monitoring the situation of

violence against LGBT persons. According to their sources, several cases concerning violation of

Article 489 have been on trial, which resulted in convictions:



In July 2015, a man was assaulted in Fes where by a crowd who pointed him out as being

homosexual. The man, who was naked, was violently attacked, and later video footage of the

attempted lynching was shared on social media.

Libération,

Agression homophobe au Maroc: quatre mois ferme pour la victime, 29 March 2016

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren



On 9 March 2016, two men were attacked by the crowd in Beni-Mellal

. Four young men forced

their way into their apartment and dragged them outside to a public street. They were

physically assaulted by a mob and were filmed naked and bleeding. On 15 March 2016, one of

the two men had been sentenced to 4 months of imprisonment by a court of first instance for

’sexual

acts against nature‘(a

synonym for

’homosexuality‘

in Morocco) whereas the other man

was awaiting trial. On 11 April 2016, after having spent 26 days behind bars, the two men who

had been subject to the public assault and filmed were sentenced by the court of appeal to 4

months of imprisonment on probation. Journalists from

Le Petit Journal

were arrested in Beni-

Mellal after attempting to investigate the case in the neighbourhood where the two victims

were living. These journalists were arrested after being

‘denounced’

by members of the local

community.

On 13 December 2014, two men were arrested, charged with sodomy and then, after a very

short trial, found guilty of this offence by the City Court of Al-Hoceima. The trial took place only

five days after they had been arrested. They were found guilty on the basis of their own

’confession‘

which according to the police occurred while they were held in detention. However,

when brought before the judge, they withdrew their confession. The court failed to call for any

witnesses to testify. On 30 December 2014, the appeals court maintained the sentence under

the existing legislation of an

’indecent act or an act against nature with an individual of the same

sex‘

(Article 489 of the Penal Code)

and of an

’outrage of public decency‘

(Article 483).

However, instead of three years of imprisonment and a fine, the court now sentenced one of

the two men to six months of imprisonment whereas the other man’s penalty was one year of

imprisonment as he was also found guilty in attempted corruption (Article 251).

On 26 May 2016, a homosexual couple in a car parked in a deserted place on the outskirts of the

town of Guelmim were arrested by gendarmes and taken into custody. The prosecutor decided

that they should remain in custody while waiting for their trial to take place at the City Court of

Guelmim. The court of first instance sentenced the two men to six months of imprisonment.

In its annual report for 2015

AMDH refers to a case which was known by the media where

two men were arrested in front of the ’Tour Hassan II‘ in Rabat accused of homosexuality. The

two men were found guilty and sentenced to four months of imprisonment and a fine of 500.00

Moroccan Dirham. The court also decided that the two men should pay for the costs of the trial.



http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2016/03/29/agression-homophobe-au-maroc-quatre-mois-ferme-pour-la-victime

1442579

Têtu (website associated with the French gay magazine ‘Têtu’):

Les agressions homophobes sont le quotidien de la

population LGBTI au Maroc selon Aswat,

by Jérémie Lacroix – 8 April 2016

http://tetu.com/2016/04/08/entretien-collectif-aswat-maroc/

Penal Code: Dahir [Decree] no. 1-59-413 (28 joumada Il 1382) containing the approval of the text of the Penal Code

(Bulletin Officiel, 5 June 1963).

http://adala.justice.gov.ma/production/legislation/fr/Nouveautes/code%20penal.pdf

Published in Arabic and entitled Status of human rights in Morocco in 2015, April 2016.

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15. AMDH finds that the Government shows a certain level of tolerance towards persons assaulting

homosexuals. As an example of this relative impunity that the Government, according to AMDH,

ensures the perpetrators of such assaults, the interlocutors mentioned that one of the victims of

the violent abuse in Béni Mellal was sentenced to four months of imprisonment for

‘sexual acts

against nature with relapse into crime and drunkenness’.

On the other hand, the identified

perpetrators were sentenced on the same day and got a suspended two-month prison sentence.

According to AMDH, there have been ‘many’ new cases against presumed homosexuals in 2015

followed by ‘several’ convictions and imprisonments in 2016.

16. In general, AMDH notes that homosexual men more frequently become victims of assaults in the

public space than lesbians do.

Possible authority protection

17. According to AMDH’s analysis, it is not possible for LGBT persons to ask for and obtain efficient

protection from the police, neither when an LGBT person fears for his or her security nor when a

person has already been a victim of unfair treatment either at home or in the public space, due to

Article 489 of the Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.

18. In addition to this, lawyers defending the accused in cases regarding the violation of Article 489 are

liable to verbal abuses.

Situation for imprisoned LGBT persons

19. The AMDH representatives note that currently, AMDH does not have the right to visit prisons, for

which reasons the organisation is not in a position to see imprisoned LGBT persons.

4. The Aswat group (le collectif Aswat)

Interview with a member

12 October 2016, Rabat

Aswat

(‘Voices’ in Arabic)

is an independent nonprofit organisation fighting for gender and sexuality issues

and against any discrimination based on sexual orientation, identity and gender.

20. The conversation with a female member of the Aswat group began with an outline of the history of

this group of activists. Aswat’s activities began in April 2012 with the launching of the online ‘Aswat

Magazine’. The magasine deals with issues regarding sexual health, contemporary culture and

issues specifically linked to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, transsexuals intersexuals and

queers (LGBTIQ) through, for example, testimonies and life stories. In December 2013, the action

became more concrete and lead to the creation of an organisation fighting for the rights of LGBTIQ

persons in Morocco. According to the interlocutor, Aswat has chosen not to attempt to become

registered as a legal association in order to avoid being visible to the authorities and the public

since public exposure may lead to social stigmatisation for homosexual activists. Hence, the

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

organisational status of Aswat is that of an informal organisation without official offices at its

disposal. In order to protect the anonymity of the activists, the members of the organisation prefer

to meet, either in the virtual space on the internet or in secure surroundings.

21. The approach of Aswat is to work in favour of a reform of the law criminalizing homosexual

activities and against practices that tolerate assaults committed by other persons against

homosexuals and transpersons. This is done in relation to cases of arrest or violence through

communication and social mobilisation campaigns either through social media or classic media

channels.

The rights of LGBT persons in Morocco

22. Article 489 of the Penal Code prohibits

‘all

lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same

sex’ and stipulates that the penalty may range from six months to three years of imprisonment with

a fine ranging from 200 to 1,000 Dirhams. According to the Aswat member, individuals who are

associated with the LGBT community are exposed to physical violence or psychological harassment.

A person may be judged by his or her physical appearance based on stereotypical norms (the way a

person dresses and walks in the street, etc.) or by the choices of the way a person lives his or her

private life (being surprised in an emotional or sexual act).

23. The Aswat member distinguished between three groups constituting the LGBT community in

Morocco: First, people who are wealthy and thereby benefit from a certain financial independence

or who have power that

de facto

protect them against homophobic aggression and contempt or, at

least, they benefit by protection in case they are arrested by the police. Secondly, people from the

middle class and the working class attempting to conceal their sexual orientation and who are

victims of contempt and aggression enacted by individuals or groups. Within the middle class,

those who express their gender identity the most are also those who are the most exposed to

violence. The interlocutor emphasized that persons with a ‘homo’ identity who belong to the two

last groups run the risk of limited access to employment, housing and sexual health services

whereas persons belonging to the first group are protected by their elitist status.

24. Most people who are engaged in LGBT issues belong to the middle or the working class and are

aware of the risk that they might run due to their activities. They hide their personal identity as

anonymity constitutes a survival strategy in an environment which is hostile to anyone who

transgresses gender and sexuality taboos.

The rights of LGBT persons by subgroup

25. All homosexual acts are criminalised in Morocco, but not all LGBTIQ subgroups are perceived in the

same way by society. According to the Aswat member, the most stigmatised groups are people

who express a gender identity which is not aligned with prevailing heterosexual norms and

transpersons. The interlocutor emphasised that violence against persons based on stereotyped

appearances differ: lesbian females and male transpersons are frequently subject to domestic

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structural violence as well as are women or persons who are considered women. This type of

violence ranges from confinement at home to forced marriage. Homosexual men who are

considered effeminate or male to female transpersons are more frequently exposed to humiliation

and physical violence and even expulsion from the family home.

Violence against LGBT persons

26. According to Aswat, LGBTIQ individuals run the risk of being subject to homophobic assaults in the

public space or within the family. As an example, the interlocutor referred to an assault which

occurred on 9 March 2015 in Rabat against two men who were accused of kissing each other in

public (the so-called ‘Tour Hasssan’ case called so after the mosque in front of which where they

had kissed each other or the ‘Lachen and Mohsine’ case after the two involved men).

The two

men were sentenced on 19 June 2015 to 4 months of imprisonment and a 500 Dirhams fine under

article 489 of the Penal Code. This was seen as an act of revenge by the authorities in response to

an action carried out by two French women, members of the activist group FEMEN that stripped to

the waist in front of the same mosque and kissed each other. They were subsequently expelled by

the Moroccan authorities because of ‘an unacceptable outrage against the entire Moroccan

society’.

Lahcen and Mohen were used as scapegoats for this.

27. According to Aswat, this violence against LGBTIQ persons is an everyday occurrence and it serves as

an example of the impunity that the authorities frequently grant the assaulters.

28. Another example of violence against LGBTIQ persons referred to by the interlocutor is the so-called

‘Beni Mellal case’ named so after the town where the incident took place.

What happened was

that a group of men entered an apartment where there were two men: before the police was able

to intervene the group insulted and beat up both of them; the group of men threw them outside

naked and filmed the incident. Subsequently, the assaulters were sentenced to two months of

imprisonment for the breach of public order whereas the victims were sentenced to four months of

imprisonment. As evidence in support of the general homophobic approach in society, the member

of Aswat referred to the fact that the population of Beni Mallal demonstrated in the streets in

order to have the assaulters released and the victims convicted. Moreover, conservative ‘moral

associations’ had approached the families of the victims in Beni Mallal in order to show them their

contempt. That was also the case close to Lahcen and Mohcine’s place of residence where a group

organized a homophobic demonstration and benefitted from impunity as in both towns the

authorities did not arrest the demonstrators who were promoting hate against homosexuals.

Le Monde (2015). Maroc: Quatre mois de prison pour deux hommes accusés de s’être embrassés en public. 19 June

2015.

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/19/maroc-quatre-mois-de-prison-pour-deux-hommes-accuses-

de-s-etre-embrasses-en-public_4658281_3212.html

Le Monde, 02.06.2015 Deux militantes Femen arrêtées puis expulsées du Maroc

Available at:

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/02/deux-militantes-femen-arretees-puis-expulsees-du-

maroc_4646034_3212.html#tfhGZTIba8XMUdVq.99

Tetu, 08/04/2016,

Les agressions homophobes sont le quotidien de la population LGBTI au Maroc selon Aswat.

Available at :

http://tetu.com/2016/04/08/entretien-collectif-aswat-maroc/

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29. In the families, LGBTIQ persons are frequently exposed to harassment. As an example, the

interlocutor stated that they are sometimes confined at home. Many LGBTIQ persons who are

financially dependent on their family are not given pocket money. If they obtain an economic

autonomy, they are capable of detaching from the family. However, this is not always the case as

there is often a certain alienation within the family which prevents the persons in question from

detaching him or herself from the family.

Possible protection by the authorities

30. According to the member of the Aswat group, it is almost impossible to obtain protection with the

authorities because of the law that criminalises homosexuality. As an example of the limited access

to justice, the interlocutor mentioned the case of a transperson who had been repeatedly exposed

to violence and wanted to report it to the local police. The member of Aswat had accompanied the

person in an anonymous manner. Once she entered the police station, the interlocutor realized

that the police officer was mocking the transperson who had reported the physical abuse. He was

answering in a vulgar manner; he began to ask questions in order to make the victim admit her

homosexuality which would make her become a victim of prosecution due to charges for

homosexuality. The police did not proceed with her complaint under the pretext that the

investigation procedure was complicated. The interlocutor found that although for formal reasons

the police cannot reject a complaint that is submitted to them, they can still effectively drag on the

case until the person will be tired of endless and fruitless administrative wrangling.

Social organisation of the LGBT community

31. According to our interlocutor, the LGBT ‘scene’ in Morocco is organising itself discreetly in order to

protect the physical security of its members. For example, the members control the way they are

walking in the streets, they are careful with how they dress and they avoid showing emotional

gestures in public in order not to attract other people’s attention. LGBT persons prefer to meet in

private homes or in certain cafés that are known to tolerate the presence of homosexuals. There

are no cafés or restaurants in Rabat with an open ‘gay’ identity.

32. Due to the lack of a secure public space for homo and transpersons, the internet is perceived as a

space of freedom. As an example of such a secure space, the interlocutor referred to apps, such as

Grindr,

which is used to organize meetings between homosexuals or the

Akaliyat

magazine

(‘Minority’) which is currently in the process of being transformed into an association that

cooperates with Aswat in order to reveal cases of violence due to homosexuality.

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5. Abdelaziz Nouaydi, lawyer

17 October 2016, Rabat

Abdelaziz Nouaydi is a lawyer and a university teacher based in Rabat. From 1998 to 2002, he served as an

adviser for the then Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssofi in the field of human rights and social dialogue

(trade unions and NGOs) and he is an expert in the field of human rights worldwide and founder of the non-

governmental association

Adala (’Justice’).

He has served as a defence lawyerfor instance in cases where

persons were accused of homosexuality.

Current situation of LGBT persons in Morocco

33. According to the analysis carried out by Nouaydi, the current situation of LGBT persons in Morocco

must be understood in relation to the legal context, which determines their space of freedom in

the public and private spheres. The Moroccan Penal Code contains three articles dealing directly

with sexuality, i.e. section 489 which criminalises sexual relations between two same sex persons;

section 490 which criminalises sexual relations between two persons who are not married; and

section 491 which criminalises adultery. These articles are criticised by human rights defenders in

Morocco and elsewhere (for example Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International) Nouaydi

emphasised that the existence of legal provisions banning sexual relations between consenting

adults is in conflict with the right to a private life, a right which is stipulated in article 24 of the

Moroccan Constitution of 2011. Moreover, Nouaydi referred to the case of Lawrence v. Texas from

2003 in which the US Federal Supreme Court found that the right to a private life takes precedence

over the existing anti-sodomy law.

34. Nevertheless, for the time being there is no political willingness to harmonise the procedures of the

Penal Code with the Constitution. According to Nouaydi’s analysis, this reluctance on the part of

the political authorities is explained by a fear of provoking the part of the Moroccan population

which is fiercely against homosexuality. Nouaydi estimated that Moroccan society is divided into

two tendencies: one part of the population which is rather neutral as to the issue of homosexuality

and another part which in the light of a conservative interpretation of Islam finds that

homosexuality is an abomination. Apart from those two tendencies, there is an intellectual elite

sharing rather liberal values, but which has no major influence. The political class which navigates

between those two tendencies is more interested in maintaining an equilibrium in society than in

engaging in a reform of the Penal Code which might lead to the repeal of articles 489 and 490 and

thus run the risk of challenging the ideological and religious foundation of the Kingdom of Morocco

(the King is ‘Amir Almouminine’, i.e. the Commander of the Faithful) and of the PJD (the ruling

party).

The Moroccan legal system and LGBT persons

35. According to Nouaydi’s estimates, there have been between 10 and 20 cases of homosexuality

charges, which have been brought before Moroccan courts of justice in 2015 and 2016. Nouaydi

emphasized that he is not in possession of any statistical data describing the extent of these cases.

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When describing in general terms the risk faced by persons on trial before the judge due to charges

with an offence of article 489, Nouaydi characterised the risk as ‘real’ because once on trial, the

accused is very likely to be sentenced even in the absence of formal evidence or eyewitnesses to

the sexual act. This is due to the fact that police reports issued at the police stations are frequently

false; the accused may for example be forced to sign the reports under pressure without their

lawyer being present. As it is often the police reports that constitute the decisive element during

the trial and as the judge attaches a major importance to them, it is difficult for the accused to

build up an effective defence. If the police report is submitted to the judge, the accused is likely to

be convicted.

36. As an example of the cases which were taken to court without the existence of any

flagrante

delicto

evidence, he mentioned the case of Ksar El Kébir in which he was a part of the defence of

some of the men who were accused of homosexuality. The incident had taken place in November

2007 in Ksar El Kébir where a group of men participated in an evening party in a private house.

Based on an amateur video which was shared on the internet, six men were subsequently accused

of a violation of article 489. They were sentenced by the City Court of Ksar El Kébir to imprisonment

in spite of the lack of evidence of sexual acts. The penalties for homosexuality ranged from 4 to 6

months of imprisonment. Nouaydi emphasized that the accused were actually sentenced for the

mere fact that they are homosexual, although it is only the homosexual act that is criminalised by

the Penal Code.

37. Nouaydi emphasised that currently the judges choose to apply minimum sentences of

imprisonment and frequently apply minimum fines in spite of an audience sometimes being

aggressive.

38. The Penal Code contains penalties ranging from 6 months to 3 years of imprisonment with fines

ranging from 200 to 1,000 Dirhams. However, in the case of Béni Mellal, which took place in March

2016, the judge sentenced the accused to 4 months of imprisonment, i.e. less than the minimum

penalty stipulated by the Penal Code. As far as Nouaydi knew, the maximum penalty passed in the

case of homosexuality in Ksar Lakbir against one individual was 10 months of imprisonment, but it

happened on the basis of a supplementary offence, namely illegal sale of alcohol, which was added

to the penalty for homosexuality.

39. However, Nouaydi stated that the consequences for an individual who has been brought before a

judge and who has been detained are considerable as the shame is immense if the detention

comes to the knowledge of family and the people in the community. The consequences may

involve difficulties in finding a job (because a clean criminal record is required to be employable),

the risk of being expelled from the family home if the person in question is young and dependent

on the family, etc.

Possible protection by the authorities

40. According to Nouaydi, homosexuals prefer to face homophobic assaults rather than to show up at a

police station and ask for protection where they might risk being arrested for homosexuality. This

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considerably limits their access to justice, also in cases regarding domestic violence, unfair

dismissal, etc.

Situation for detained LGBT persons

41. In general, the detainment conditions in prison are precarious (the prisons suffer from

overcrowding, insufficient amounts of food, limited access to medical care, poor leisure activities).

As a lawyer Nouaydi has been allowed to enter prisons, and he found that the prison governors fail

systematically to live up to their duty to inform each prisoner about internal regulations so that the

detainee is aware of his or her rights and obligations.

6. Abdessamad Dialmy, Professor

Rabat 13 October 2016

Professor Abdessamad Dialmy is an independent researcher who for the past 30 years has published more

than 40 academic books and articles within the field of gender, sexuality and Islam in Morocco. In addition

to his work as professor with universities in Morocco and France, he is also an active blogger with his own

blog on gender, sexual and reproductive health in a post-colonial context.

Legal situation of LGBT persons in contemporary Morocco

42. According to Professor Dialmy, people who self-identify as homo- or transsexuals face a difficult

and often precarious situation in contemporary Morocco. Article 489 of the Penal Code states that

same-sex practices constitute a ‘unnatural

act’

and the professor advised that violations of this

article could be punished with anywhere from a term of six months to three years of imprisonment

as well as a fine of 200 to 1,000 dirhams. Professor Dialmy noted that the effects of article 489

must be seen in connection with the articles 490 and 491 which prohibit sexual relations between

individuals who are either not married (sex before marriage) or not married to each other (sex

outside of marriage). According to Professor Dialmy, combined these articles articulate a wish by

the Moroccan state to control the sexuality of its citizens (especially the poor) through the means

of power available to the authorities (in the name of sexual Islamic morals).

43. Asked about the consequences of the way the procedures of the Moroccan Code Penal are

structured, Professor Dialmy pointed out that the structure of the code arguably makes it a citizen

duty to report any suspected cases of homosexuality (and any other offense or crime) despite the

fact that article 24 under the 2011 Constitution guarantees citizens a right to a private life.

Referring to his own engagement, Professor Dialmy narrated how he in 2007, publicly had called for

the abrogation of the articles in the Code Penal which seeks to regulate sexuality in a patriarchal

way, a statement which led to threats against his person. For the same reasons, he left the country

at 2003-2004 for one year (as a visiting Professor at Rennes 2 university in France) after which he

returned to take up his academic work in Rabat again.

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44. Asked what constitutes evidence in a case of alleged homosexuality, Professor Dialmy explained

that proof of homosexuality or same-sex practices requires either a confession by the person under

accusation or a statement by the police. The statement by four witnesses who are willing to testify

that they had directly observed an explicit homosexual act refers to the Divine Law (Shari’a). It is

practically impossible to obtain this sort of evidence. So it is not maintained as evidence by the

Moroccan Penal Code. Professor Dialmy added that the fact of being arrested and/or subsequently

taken to court can in itself have negative repercussions on the person even if the charges are not

sustained. These repercussions include, but are not restricted to, intense social stigmatisation, loss

of job, loss of housing and targeted assaults.

45. According to Professor Dialmy, article 489 under the Penal Code does not only specifically prohibit

any act of homosexuality in Morocco, and tactically also any form of collective and organized action

in favor of LGBT rights, but it also effectively offers a platform for public denunciation and different

forms of violence against persons identified as belonging to the group of LGBT. As a consequence,

LGBT individuals including, their organisations, have a rather restrained room of maneuver in the

public sphere.

Possible protection by authorities

46. Asked about to which extent a homosexual or transsexual individual can ask for protection by the

authorities, Professor Dialmy noted that any individual who self-identifies as an LGBT person

would, knowing that same-sex practice is prohibited, be reluctant to show up at a local police. This

will be very compromising for him because his arguments will be a recognition of his

homosexuality. His recognition/complaint will be exploited against him; it is an evidence that the

police officers could legally use to arrest him as homosexual. Consequently, he will not seek the

protection of the police. However, Professor Dialmy noted that the authorities’ concern with

upholding public order means that the police forces would effectively protect individuals who are

being attacked by a mob in the public sphere.

47. As an example Professor Dialmy referred to the events in Beni Mellal which took place on March 9,

2015. Here, two men, who were suspected of being in a same-sex relationship, were pulled out of

their private home and then humiliated and subject to mob violence. The police force intervened

and effectively took control of the situation and protected the two men from what would likely

have ended up in a lynching. The events are documented in an amateur video which has been

circulated on the social media. Professor Dialmy noted that the police arrested both perpetrators

and victims. He also noted the asymmetry in the convictions in that the court sentenced one of the

victims to four months of imprisonment with a fine of 500 dirhams for public drunkenness and

‘sexual deviancy’ and two of the perpetrators to a two-months suspended sentence. In relation to

the prison terms for the victim, Professor Dialmy took note of the fact that the court decided not to

uphold the maximum punishment within article 489 of the procedures of the Penal Code.

48. He also referred to the case of Fes in which a presumed homosexual individual was subject to gay-

bashing by a crowd of young men in the streets. This event took place in July 2015 and was

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documented on a video shared on the social media.

In this case, the police also intervened to stop

the mob violence and thereby presumably saved the life of the person under attack.

49. Professor Dialmy explained that the authorities react in multiple ways to homosexual citizens in

Morocco. On the one hand, the authorities tolerate the existence of a homosexual and transsexual

community, a community that uses websites and apps to organise social interaction, thus allowing

it some space. On the other hand, the authorities engage in a strict conservative discourse which

condemns any attempts to take issue with moral and religious values underpinning the Moroccan

society.

Violence against LGBT persons in contemporary Morocco

50. Professor Dialmy noted that to his best knowledge, there has been conducted no studies on the

nature and prevalence of violence against LGBT persons in Morocco. He distinguished between

three forms of violence which infuse the situation of LGBT persons in contemporary Morocco. First,

institutional violence as expressed in in the Penal Code and its desire to regulate human sexuality

by legal means. Secondly, social violence in the forms of perceived and enacted stigmatization of

non-heterosexual citizens and finally as physical violence. Asked about examples of physical

violence, Professor Dialmy mentioned the risk of rape in prison by other inmates as well the case of

Beni Mellal and the case of Fes. Asked about examples of social violence he referred to a recent

case that he had knowledge of which took place in June 2016, in which a young man who had been

accused of homosexuality by his sister-in-law. Subsequently he was forced by his father-in-law to

divorce his wife. The case also ad societal repercussions as he was fired from his job and he finally

left the country.

Origins of discrimination against LGBT persons

51. The Moroccan Penal Code is partly inspired by anti-sodomy laws formulated by the French colonial

authorities. However, the historical background for the discrimination against same-sex practices is

rooted in the religious and moral fabric of the Moroccan society. Professor Dialmy noted that the

Sharia law arguably condemns homosexuality harder than the secular Penal Code, but that there

are no pronouncements on fixed punishment in the Koran. According to a saying of the Prophet

Mohammed, homosexuality is a sin which is punishable by death. However, Professor Dialmy

underlined that Islamic scholars maintain death for the married homosexual but sentenced only

flogging for the single homosexual. According to Professor Dialmy, Muslim Societies are particularly

concerned with upholding the prohibition against the male body being penetrated and are

therefore more tolerant towards men who play the active role in a same-sex act compared to the

male person being the recipient partner in a same-sex act. This contributes to explaining why the

discrimination in the public sphere, according to Professor Dialmy, is much more severe towards

gay men being perceived as feminine and transsexuals male-to-female.

52. Professor Dialmy underlined that the sexual culture is not static in Morocco. He noted that it had

changed from being characterized by a strict religious discourse, combined with sexual practices

strongly influenced by conservative values, to one where conservative Islamic values still permeate

The New Arab, 1 July, 2015. Morocco mob beat ‘gay’ man on Fes street

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/7/1/morocco-mob-beat-man-in-dress

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the official discourse on sexuality but where sexual practices are increasingly being influenced by

secular values. The third stage which is coming is the secularization of both sexual norms and

practices. These three stages constitute the theory of « sexual transition » that Professor Dialmy

built since 2012.

Organisation of an LGBT community

53. Professor Dialmy mentioned the former organisation Kif kif where the Moroccan LGBT people could

meet and organise themselves; however, Kik kif, which was based in Spain, no longer exists. A

different example is ‘Aswat’, a group of people involved in LGBT issues and LGBT rights. Most of

Aswat’s activities are organized around internet-based platforms and takes place in the virtual

space, but Aswat also organises collective actions in the public sphere such as protests in favor of

the LGBT rights in front of the parliament at Rabat. In fact, those actions are not organised in the

name and by Aswat itself. Since Aswat is not a legal NGO, it cannot be authorised to organise public

actions. So some Aswat members participate as individuals in demonstrations organised by feminist

or human rights NGOs. Because these demonstrations are legal and authorised, police forces do

not intervene and do not repress them. So Moroccan LGBT individuals exploit these

demonstrations to be in the public space as militants and to express themselves through some

politically correct slogans like « Love is not a crime ».

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Appendix B: meeting notes (French version)

1. Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et de la Coopération

Entretien avec Mustapha El Bouazaoui, Affaires Consulaires et Sociales,

10 octobre 2016, Rabat

L’entretien avec Mustapha El Baouazaoui a commencé avec un tour d’horizon de la situation socio-politique

de la société marocaine. Le Directeur des Affaires Consulaires et Sociales s’est exprimé sur les trois thèmes

de la mission danoise dans l’ordre suivant : la situation des mineurs non-accompagnés, la situation des

personne d’orientation LGBT et la double peine. Il a souligné le besoin de consulter par la suite les ministères

et les associations spécialisées dans chaque domaine pour plus de renseignements.

Situation pour les personnes d’orientation homosexuelles

1. En ce qui concerne l’orientation sexuelle, le Gouvernement marocain reconnait que

l’homosexualité est un phénomène contemporain qui existe dans tous les sociétés au monde. Au

Maroc, l’article 489 du Code pénal établit que « toute personne qui commet des actes obscènes ou

contre nature avec une personne du même sexe sera punie d’une peine d’emprisonnement

comprise entre 6 mois et 3 ans et d’une amende de 120 à 1000 dirhams à moins à moins que les

circonstances de la commission des faits ne constituent un facteur aggravant ». Actuellement, le

Gouvernement ne possède pas de données sur l’ampleur de ce phénomène au Maroc. Le

Gouvernement constate qu’un nombre d’organisations militants œuvrent en faveur des droits des

personnes LGBT au territoire marocain et qu’un bon nombre de media débattent de la cause

homosexuelle. Concrètement, le Gouvernement collabore avec le Conseil national des droits de

l’Homme (CNDH) pour promouvoir la culture des droits de l’Homme et de citoyenneté y compris

pour les personnes d’orientation homosexuelle et lesbienne.

2. Pour le Gouvernement du Maroc, il est important de ne pas provoquer l’opinion publique qui est

actuellement plutôt conservateur en ce qui concerne les mœurs. La question de l’homosexualité

doit nécessairement être analysée en prenant en compte plusieurs éléments : d’un côté la

nécessité de maintenir l’équilibre et l’ordre public et d’un autre côté le respect pour les droits de

l’Homme. Actuellement, les politiques marocaines sont confrontées à la nécessité de conjuguer le

constant religieux avec les conventions internationales des droits de l’Homme.

Conseil national de droits de l’Homme (CNDH)

Entretien avec le Conseil national de droits de l’Homme (CNDH), Abderrafie Hamdi, Directeur de la

protection des droits de l’hommes et monitoring, Khalid Hanefioui, chargé de projet ’droits de l’enfant’,

Abdelhak Eddouk, Chargé de la protection des droits de l’homme dans les lieux de privation de liberté,

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Aminata Pagni, Chargée de projet, protection des migrants, Ayoub El Karoubi, chargé des INDs et réseaux

au sein de la Direction de la coopération et des relations internationales

Rabat, 17 octobre 2016

Le Conseil national de droits de l’Homme (CNDH) est une institution nationale chargée de veiller à la

situation des droits de l’Homme au niveau national et régional au Maroc. Doté de commissions régionales,

le CNDH assure la surveillance de suivi de la protection des droits de l’Homme en concertation avec les

autorités indiquées.

3. Selon le Conseil, la question d’homosexualité et de transsexualité se pose dans un contexte des

libertés individuelles et doit être examinée avec une prise en compte du contexte actuel qui

marque des changements sociopolitiques profonds et des mutations systèmes de valeurs. Selon la

délégation du CNDH, c’est une partie de la population, très engagé dans la défense de valeurs

traditionnelles, qui s’opposent activement à la défense des droits des personnes LGBT plutôt que la

justice ou le Gouvernement. Dans la société contemporaine, les personnes LGBT constituent un

groupe vulnérable qui cherche à se cacher et qui exerce de l’autocensure pour éviter des

problèmes.

4. D’après les connaissances du Conseil, il y a eu quatre à cinq cas d’accusation pour délit

d’homosexualité en 2015 et le Conseil a suivi de près l’évolution de ces cas. Le Conseil a rendu

visite aux familles des personnes accusées et a également rendu visite aux accusés pendant leur

arrestation.

La protection possible auprès des autorités

5. D’après le Conseil, c’est possible pour une personne d’orientation LGBT qui craint pour sa sécurité

de demander et d’obtenir la protection par la police. S’il arrive que la personne soit maltraitée dans

les commissariats de police, cela est plutôt lié au manque de discipline et de respect pour la loi de

la part de la police et non pas directement lié à son identité homosexuelle. D’après les membres du

Conseil, une personne homosexuelle craignant pour sa vie est mieux protégée contre tout risque

éventuel par la police que par les gens dans la rue.

La situation pour les personnes LGBT incarcérées

6. Le Conseil a pu effectuer des visites aux institutions pénitentiaires au Maroc. Le Conseil a formé un

groupe de travail chargé au monitoring de la situation dans les prisons et ce groupe a rédigé un

rapport consultatif sur les conditions de détention, publié en 2012.

7. Expliquant, de manière générale, la situation actuelle dans les prisons, le Conseil a souligné que le

cadre normatif en ce qui concerne l’espace physique devrait être développé davantage pour une

conformité avec les normes internationales. Actuellement, l’encombrement dans les prisons est

estimé de 2-300 %. Pour répondre aux problèmes de capacités par rapport au nombre de détenus,

10 nouvelles prisons sont présentement sous construction et l’ouverture est prévue en 2016.

CNDH (2012). La crise des prisons: Une responsabilité partagée. Rapport sur la situation dans les prisons et les droits

des détenus. Octobre 2012.

http://cndh.ma/sites/default/files/crise_des_prisons_-rapport_integral.pdf

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

8. Dans les prisons, au Maroc comme ailleurs, c’est le rapport de forces qui domine entre prisonniers.

Selon les observations du Conseil, les personnes détenues d’orientation LGBT font de manière à

cacher leur identité sexuelle pour éviter des problèmes. Aujourd'hui, le nombre exact des

prisonniers détenus pour violation de l’article 489 du Code Pénal est difficile à identifier. De même

pour le nombre des prisonniers d’orientation LGBT. D’après le Conseil, les personnes LGBT font

partie des groupes vulnérables dans les prisons (ainsi que les femmes, les mineurs, les personnes

vivant avec un handicap, les étrangers, les toxicomanes et les détenus atteints des maladies

chroniques). Pendant les visites effectuées dans les prisons, des détenus se sont parfois rapproché

de façon discrète au représentant du Conseil pour demander une cellule individuelle. Le souhait

d’une cellule individuelle est souvent justifié par peur d’harcèlement sexuel. Selon les impressions

de ce membre du Conseil, les directions des prisons sont à l’écoute de ces demandes.

9. Le Conseil a reçu plus de 1200 plaintes déposé par des détenus ou par l’intermédiaire de leurs

familles au cours des années concernant, entre autre, le traitement réservé aux détenus mais

aucun de cela n’a fait référence à l’homosexualité.

3. Association Marocaine de Droits Humains (AMDH)

Entretien avec Khadija Ainani, vice-présidente, et Said Tbel, membre du bureau central, Association

Marocaine de Droits Humains (AMDH)

12. octobre 2016, Rabat

Association Marocaine de Droits Humains (AMDH) est une ONG qui œuvre pour faire connaître les droits

humains et pour relever toute violation de ces droits dans la société marocaine. L’AMDH a un réseau

national de 10 sections régionales qui consiste en 97 sections locales. AMDH est associé au Conseil

économique et social (ECOSOC) des Nations Unies. L’AMDH publie régulièrement des rapports sur le statut

des droits de l’homme au Maroc.

La situation des droits des personnes LGBT au Maroc

10. L’AMDH constate que la situation actuelle est caractérisée par un discours politico-religieux

stigmatisant et conservateur qui cherche à discréditer les personnes d’orientation LGBT. Bien que

le Gouvernement d’un côté tolère l’existence d’une communauté homosexuelle, de l’autre côté il

accorde une quasi impunité aux personnes et groupes qui harcellent les homosexuels, voire

lynchent les homosexuels, dans l’espace public. Cette tolérance vis-à-vis du harcèlement dans la

rue augmente effectivement le risque pour les personnes qui sont perçue comme LGBT de souffrir

des violences. A cela s’ajoute le mépris au sein de la famille où l’homosexualité est peu tolérée. Le

seul espace sécurisée au sein de la société marocaine est le milieu universitaire ou un climat plutôt

tolérant règne parmi les intellectuels.

11. Selon les observations de l’AMDH la situation des personnes LGBT au Maroc d’aujourd’hui est

caractérisée par un état d’autocensure dans lequel les homosexuels cherchent à se cacher. Il faut

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

éviter à dévoiler son identité homosexuelle dans l’espace public aussi bien qu’au sein de la famille.

L’agression peut être la suite d’un vêtement qui est perçu comme non-conforme aux normes, du

fait de vivre deux personnes du même sexe ensemble ou tout simplement d’être aperçu dans une

situation avec une autre personne du même sexe.

12. Ce climat d’autocensure a comme conséquence que les personnes LGBT sont réticents à s’adresser

aux services de santé, quand ils souffrent d’un problème de l’ordre de santé sexuelle par peur de

subir une humiliation au moment où les agents de santé découvrent leur identité LGBT. Cela a,

selon l’AMDH, des implications négatives pour l’accès réel aux services de prévention du VIH/SIDA,

car il n’y a pas de services médicaux visant les personnes LGBT particulier pour les personnes LGBT.

La stigmatisation s’applique aussi dans le système de santé.

13. Les deux représentants ont commencé par souligner que l’AMDH, en tant qu’organisation de

défense des droits humains y compris les libertés individuelles, cherche à abroger l’article 489 des

procédures du Code Pénal, criminalisant les rapports homosexuels. En outre, l’AMDH note que ce

n’est pas seulement l’article 489 qui pose un atteint aux libertés individuelles mais également les

articles 490 et 491 (traitant des rapports sexuels soit adultères soit entre personnes non-mariées)

du même code pénal qui pénalise les rapports entre adultes consentants hétérosexuels.

La violence faites aux personnes d’orientation LGBT

14. Les représentants de l’AMDH ont souligné que l’AMDH suit la situation des violences faites aux

personnes d’orientation LGBT de près. Selon leurs sources, plusieurs cas de violation de l’article 489

ont été présentés devant le juge avec condamnation :



Les interlocuteurs ont cité le cas de Fès où, en juillet 2015, un homme a été attaqué par la foule

en lui dénonçant pour homosexualité. L’homme, a été agressé violement, corps nu, après quoi

un vidéo amateur du lynchage a été diffusé sur les réseaux sociaux.

En outre, référence a été faite au cas dite de Beni Mellal du 9 mars 2016 dans lequel deux

hommes se sont fait agressé par la foule.

Quatre jeunes gens pénètrent dans l’appartement

de deux citoyens de la ville de Béni-Mellal, les agressent violemment avant de les filmer, nus,

ensanglantés et de les traîner sur la voie publique, Le couple dont le lynchage public avait fait

l’objet d’une vidéo, été jugés le 11 avril par la cour d’appel à 4 mois avec sursis, après avoir

passé 26 jours à l’ombre. L’un d’eux avait été condamné à quatre mois de prison ferme, le 15

mars par le tribunal de 1ère instance, pour

“actes sexuels contre-

nature”

(synonyme

“d’homosexualité”

au Maroc), tandis que l’autre était dans l’attente de son

jugement.



Libération,

Agression homophobe au Maroc : quatre mois ferme pour la victime,

29 mars 2016

http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2016/03/29/agression-homophobe-au-maroc-quatre-mois-ferme-pour-la-

victime_1442579

Têtu (Le site internet associé au magazine gay français « Têtu ».) :

Les agressions homophobes sont le quotidien de la

population LGBTI au Maroc

selon Aswat, Par Jérémie Lacroix - 8 avril, 2016

http://tetu.com/2016/04/08/entretien-collectif-aswat-maroc/

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Des journalistes du

Petit Journal

étaient arrêtés à Beni-Mellal. Après avoir tenté de tourner un

sujet dans le quartier où résidaient les deux victimes. Ils auraient été interpelés après

une

“dénonciation”

des habitants du quartier.



Le Tribunal d'instance de la ville d'Al-Hoceima a déclaré deux accusés coupables de sodomie, à

l'issue d'un procès très court qui s'est tenu cinq jours seulement après leur arrestation le 13

décembre 2014. Ils ont été jugés coupables sur la base d'«

aveux

» faits, selon la police, lors de

leur détention mais qu'ils ont ensuite rétractés devant le juge. Le tribunal n'a appelé aucun

témoin à la barre. Une Cour d'appel a confirmé le verdict le 30 décembre. Le verdict de

culpabilité pour commission d'un «acte

impudique ou contre nature avec un individu de son

sexe

» (article 489 du Code Pénal

)

et «outrage

public à la pudeur

» (article 483), mais a réduit

les peines des deux hommes, de trois ans de prison et une amende à six mois pour l'un et à un

an pour l'autre, ce dernier ayant été également reconnu coupable de tentative de corruption

(article 251).

Les gendarmes ont arrêté le 26 Mai 2016, un couple d’homosexuels, dans une voiture garée

dans un endroit désert en périphérie de la ville de Guelmim, Les deux homosexuels ont été

placés en garde à vue et le procureur a décidé de les mettre en détention en attendant leur

passage devant le tribunal de première instance de Guelmim. Le tribunal de 1ere instance les a

jugés à 6 mois de prison ferme.

Dans leur rapport annuel 2015 (écrit en langue arabe. Le titre en français : Statut des droit de

l’homme au Maroc pendant l’année 2015, imprimé en Avril 2016), AMDH fait référence à un

cas connu dans les médias où deux hommes ont été arrêtés à côté de la «Tour Hassan II « à

Rabat pour homosexualité. Les deux hommes ont été condamnés à 4 mois de prison ferme et

une amande à 500 MAD plus les frais de procédure.



15. L’AMDH trouve que le Gouvernement fait preuve d’une certaine tolérance vis-à-vis des personnes

qui perpètrent des agressions contre les homosexuel(le)s. Comme exemple de cette impunité

relative que le Gouvernement, selon l’AMDH, accorde aux agresseurs, les interlocuteur ont noté

que l’une des victime de violence de Beni Mellal a été condamnée à quatre mois de prison

«actes

sexuels contre-nature avec récidive et ivresse»

tandis que les agresseurs identifiés ont été

condamné le même jour à deux mois de prison avec sursis. Selon l’AMDH, il y a eu ‘beaucoup’

d’ouverture d’enquêtes contre des homosexuels présumés en 2015, suivi par jugement et

incarcération ‘plusieurs’ cas en 2016.

16. De manière générale, l’AMDH observe que les hommes homosexuels sont plus souvent victimes

des agressions faites dans l’espace public que les lesbiennes.

Code Penal : Dahir n° 1-59-413 (28 joumada Il 1382) portant approbation du texte du Code

pénal (B.O. 5 juin 1963).

http://www.cabinetbassamat.com/fileadmin/Codes%20et%20lois/Droit%20pénal%20et%20procédure

%20pénale/codepenal.pdf

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

La protection possible auprès des autorités

17. Selon l’analyse de l’AMDH les personnes d’orientation LGBT sont dans l’impossibilité de demander

et d’obtenir une protection efficace auprès de la police et dans les cas où une personne

d’orientation LGBT craint pour sa sécurité et dans les cas où une personne a déjà été victime d’une

injustice soit à domicile, soit dans l’espace public à cause de l’article 489 du Code Pénal qui

criminalise l’homosexualité.

18. En outre, les avocats des accusés d’une violence de l’article 489 risquent les insultes.

La situation pour les personnes LGBT incarcérées

19. Les représentants de l’AMDH notent qu’actuellement l’AMDH n’a pas le droit de se rendre dans les

prisons, donc l’association est dans l’impossibilité de rendre visite aux personnes LGBT

incarcérées.

4. Le Collectif Aswat

Entretien avec une membre

12 octobre 2016, Rabat

Aswat

(‘Voix’ en arabe)

est un collectif indépendant à but non lucratif, luttant sur les questions de genre, de

la sexualité et contre toute discrimination basée sur l’orientation sexuelle, l’identité et l’expression de genre.

20. L’entretien avec la membre du collectif Aswat a commencé par une esquisse de l’histoire de ce

groupe militant. Son engagement a débuté en avril 2012 avec le lancement de ‘Aswat Magazine’

sur le web. Ce magazine traite des questions de santé sexuelle, de culture contemporaine et des

questions spécifiquement liées aux personnes d’orientation gays, lesbiennes, bisexuels,

transgenres, transsexuels et intersexe (LGBTIQ) à travers des témoignages et histoires de vie entre

autres. En décembre 2013 l’action s’est concrétisée en la création d’un collectif de lutte pour les

droits des personnes LGBTIQ au Maroc. Selon l’interlocutrice, Aswat a fait le choix de ne pas tenter

de se faire enregistrer comme une association pour ne pas être visibles aux autorités et au public,

car la visibilité peut être préjudiciable pour les militant(e)s homosexuel(le)s. Par conséquent, Aswat

a un statut organisationnel non-formel et ne dispose pas de bureaux officiels. Pour protéger

l’anonymat des militants, les membres du collectif préfèrent se rencontrer soit dans le monde

virtuel à travers l’internet, soit dans des espaces sécurisés.

21. L’approche de Aswat est de travailler sur une réforme de la loi qui criminalise les pratiques

homosexuelles ainsi que sur les pratiques qui tolèrent les agressions faites par les gens contre les

homosexuels et les personnes trans à travers des campagnes de médiatisations et de mobilisation

autour des affaires d’arrestations ou de violences dans les réseaux sociaux ou via les médias

classiques.

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

La situation des droits des personnes d’orientation LGBT au

Maroc

22. L’article 489 du Code Pénal interdit «

tout acte impudique ou contre-nature avec un individu de

même sexe«

en stipulant que la sanction peut aller de six mois à trois ans de prison avec une

amende de 200 à 1,000 dirhams. Selon la membre d’Aswat les personnes qui sont perçue comme

faisant partie de la communauté LGBT sont exposées à la violence physique et au harcèlement

moral. On est jugé sur son apparence physique selon des normes stéréotypées (la façon de

s’habiller et de marcher dans la rue, etc.) ou sur des choix de vie privée (être surpris pendant une

pratique affective ou sexuelle).

23. La membre d’Aswat a fait la distinction entre trois groupes imbriqués dans la communauté LGBT au

Maroc: les riches qui jouissent d’une indépendance financière ou qui ont du pouvoir et qui par cela

sont

de facto

à l’abri de l’agression et du mépris homophobe ou du moins ils bénéficient d’une

protection en cas d’arrestation policière; la classe moyenne ou populaire qui cherche à cacher son

orientation sexuelle et qui est victime du mépris et de l’agression des personnes et des groupes,

chez la classe moyenne les personnes les plus visibles dans leur expression de genre sont les plus

exposées aux violences. L’interlocutrice a souligné que les personnes avec une identité ‘homo’ et

appartenant aux deux derniers groupes risquent à être confrontés à un accès limité à l’emploi, au

logement et aux services de santé sexuelle tandis que les personnes appartenant au premier

groupe sont protéger par leur statut d’élite.

24. Les personnes qui militent sont pour la plus part issues de la classe moyenne/populaire et sont

conscientes des risques qu’ils peuvent confronter par leur activisme. Ils et elles restent dans

l’invisibilité concernant leur identité personne car l’anonymat est une stratégie de survie dans un

contexte hostile à la transgression des tabous de genre et de sexualité.

La situation des droits des personnes d’orientation LGBT par sous-groupe

25. Tout acte homosexuel est criminalisé au Maroc mais tout sous-groupe LGBTIQ n’est pas indexé de

la même manière par la société. D’après le représentant de l’Aswat, les groupes les plus stigmatisés

sont les et les personnes trans. L’interlocutrice a souligné que les violences faites aux personnes

basées sur une apparence stéréotypée diffèrent. Les femmes lesbiennes ou hommes trans sont

souvent violentés dans l’espace familial ce qui est structurel comme violences faites aux femmes ou

perçues comme femmes à travers l’enfermement dans le domicile familial jusqu’au mariage forcé,

tandis que les hommes homosexuels qui sont perçu comme efféminés ou les femmes trans

subissent plus souvent des humiliations et des violences physiques jusqu’au rejet du domicile

familial.

La violence faites aux personnes d’orientation LGBT

26. Selon Aswat, les personnes de l’orientation LGBTIQ sont à risque d’agression homophobe dans

l’espace public et au sein de la famille. Comme exemple l’interlocutrice a cité l’agression faite le 9

mars 2015 à Rabat contre deux hommes qui ont été accusés de s’être embrassés en public (dite

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

l’affaire Tour Hasssan’ d’après le lieu de l’échange de ce baiser ou l’affaire ‘Lachen et Mohsine’).

Les deux hommes ont été condamnés le 19 juin 2015 à 4 mois de prison et à 500 dirhams

d’amende selon l’article 489 du Code Pénal. Cette affaire est survenue en représailles des autorités

contre une action de deux françaises, membres du collectif militante FEMEN, qui se sont

embrassées, seins nus, au même lieu et ont par la suite été expulsées par les autorités marocaines

pour « une offense inacceptable pour l’ensemble de la société marocaine ».

Lahcen et Mohcen en

ont été les bouc-émissaires.

27. Cette violence faite aux personnes LGBTIQ est un fait quotidien, selon Aswat, donnant l’exemple de

l’impunité que les autorités accordent souvent aux agresseurs.

28. Un autre exemple de la violence faite au personne LGBTIQ donné par l’interlocutrice est celui dite

‘l’affaire Beni Mellal’ d’après la ville dans laquelle l’évènement s’est déroulé.

Il s’agit d’un groupe

d’hommes qui se sont introduit dans un appartement où se trouvaient deux hommes : le groupe a

insulté et frappé les deux, les ont jeté dehors, nus, et ont filmé la scène avant que la police ait pu

intervenir. Par la suite, les agresseurs ont été condamnés de deux mois de prison pour infraction

avec l’ordre public, tandis que les victimes ont été condamnées à quatre mois de prison. Comme

preuve du sentiment homophone généralisé dans la société, Aswat a cité le fait que les habitants

de Beni Mellal ont manifesté dans les rues pour la libération des agresseurs et pour la

condamnation des victimes. En outre, des ‘associations morales’ conservateurs se sont rapproché

aux familles des victimes de Beni Mellal pour leur transmettre leur mépris. Le même cas s’est passé

près du domicile de Lahcen et Mohcine ou un groupe a organisé une manifestation homophobe en

toute impunité car dans les deux villes, les autorités n’ont pas arrêtés les manifestants incitant à la

haine contre les homosexuels.

29. Au sein de la famille les personnes LGBTIQ subissent souvent des tracasseries. L’interlocutrice a

donné comme exemple qu’ils sont parfois enfermées à la maison. Beaucoup de personnes LGBTQI,

qui dépendent économiquement de leur famille, se voient privé de l’argent de poche. S’ils arrivent

à une autonomie économique ils peuvent se détacher de la famille, mais ce n’est pas toujours le

cas, car il y a une aliénation aux familles qui empêchent les personnes de s’en détacher.

La protection possible auprès des autorités

30. Selon le membre du collectif Aswat, il est quasi-impossible d’obtenir la protection auprès des

autorités à cause de la loi qui pénalise l’homosexualité. L’interlocutrice a cité comme exemple de

Le Monde (2015). Maroc: Quatre mois de prison pour deux hommes accusés de s’être embrassés en public. 19 June

2015. Available at:

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/19/maroc-quatre-mois-de-prison-pour-deux-

hommes-accuses-de-s-etre-embrasses-en-public_4658281_3212.html

Le Monde, 02.06.2015 Deux militantes Femen arrêtées puis expulsées du Maroc

Available at:

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/02/deux-militantes-femen-arretees-puis-expulsees-du-

maroc_4646034_3212.html#tfhGZTIba8XMUdVq.99

Têtu (2016):

Les agressions homophobes sont le quotidien de la population LGBTI au Maroc selon Aswat,

by Jérémie

Lacroix – 8 April 2016 Available at :

http://tetu.com/2016/04/08/entretien-collectif-aswat-maroc/

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

l’accès limité à la justice le cas d’une personne trans qui avait été violentée de façon répétée et

souhaitant porter plainte auprès de la police locale. Le membre Aswat l’avait accompagnée de

façon anonyme. Une fois entré au commissariat, l’interlocutrice a pu constater que l’agent de

police s’est moqué de la personne trans portant plainte pour agression, il a répondu de façon

vulgaire, il a commencé à poser des questions de sorte à obtenir des aveux de la victime

reconnaissant son homosexualité, ce qui lui vaudrait de passer de victime à des poursuites pour

motif d’homosexualité. La police n’a pas donné suite à sa plainte, sous prétexte que la procédure

d’enquête était compliquée. L’interlocutrice a jugé que bien que la police ne puisse pas

formellement refuser une plainte qui est porté à son attention, elle peut effectivement laisser

trainer le dossier jusqu’à ce que la personne se fatigue de faire des allers-retours administratifs

sans aboutissement.

L’organisation sociale de la communauté LGBT

31. Selon notre interlocutrice, ‘la scène’ LGBT au Maroc s’organise en toute discrétion pour protéger la

sécurité physique de ses membres. Par exemple, on contrôle sa façon de marcher dans la rue, on

fait attention à ses vêtements et on évite de manifester des gestes affectifs en public pour ne pas

attirer l’attention. De préférence, les personnes LGBT se retrouvent chez eux à domicile, ou, en

sortant en groupe, dans certains cafés qui sont connu pour tolérer la présence des homosexuels. Il

n’y a pas des cafés ou des restaurants à Rabat avec une identité ouvertement ‘gay’.

32. En défaut d’un espace publique sécurisé pour les homo- et trans, l’internet est perçu comme un

espace libre. L’interlocutrice a cité comme exemple de cette espace sécurisé des apps tels que

Grindr

qui est utilisé pour organiser des rencontres entre homosexuels ou le magazine

Akaliyat

(‘Minorité’) actuellement en cours de transformation en association qui collabore avec Aswat pour

dénoncer des affaires de violences pour motif d’homosexualité.

5. Abdelaziz Nouaydi, avocat

17 octobre 2016, Rabat

Abdelaziz Nouaydi est un avocat et universitaire, basé à Rabat. Ancien conseiller du premier ministre

(Abderrahmane Youssofi 1998-2002) dans les domaines droits humains et dialogue social (syndicats et

ONG), il est spécialiste en matière de droits humains international et fondateur de l’association non-

gouvernementale

Adala [‘Justice’].

Il a servi comme avocat de défense, entre autre cas, dans des cas où des

personnes ont été accusées pour homosexualité.

Situation actuelle des personnes d’orientation LGBT au Maroc

33. Selon l’analyse faite par Nouaydi il faut comprendre la situation actuelle des personnes LGBT au

Maroc par rapport au cadre juridique qui conditionne leur espace de liberté dans la sphère

publique et privée. Dans le Code Pénal du Maroc il y a trois articles critiqués par les défenseurs des

droits humains au Maroc et ailleurs (Human Rights Watch et Amnesty International par exemple),

qui traitent directement de la sexualité : l’article 489 criminalisant les relations sexuelles entre deux

personne du même sexe ; l’article 490 criminalisant les rapports sexuels entre deux personnes qui

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

ne sont pas mariés ; et l’article 491 criminalisant l’adultère. Nouaydi a souligné que l’existence des

articles qui interdisent des rapports consensuels entre adultes est en conflit avec le droit à la vie

privée telle qu’elle est stipulée dans l’article 24 de la Constitution du Maroc de 2011. Nouaydi a

également fait référence au cas de Lawrence v. Texas dans laquelle la Cour suprême fédérale des

Etats-Unis, en 2003, a stipulée que le droit à la vie privée prime sur l’existence d’une loi anti-

sodomie.

34. Toutefois, il n’y a pas actuellement une volonté politique à harmoniser les procédures du Code

Pénal avec la Constitution. Selon l’analyse de Nouaydi cette réticence de la part des autorités

politiques s’explique par la peur de ne pas provoquer la partie de la population marocaine qui est

férocement contre l’homosexualité. Nouaydi estime que la société marocaine est partagée entre

deux tendances : Une partie de la population, plutôt neutre vis-à-vis la question de

l’homosexualité et une autre partie qui trouve que l’homosexualité constitue une abomination sur

la base d'une interprétation conservatrice de l'Islam. En dehors de ces deux tendances se trouve

une élite intellectuelle avec des valeurs plutôt libérales mais qui est sans grande influence. La classe

politique qui navigue entre ces tendances est plutôt intéressée à maintenir une équilibre sociétale

et non pas à s’investir dans un réforme du Code Pénal qui pourrait mener à l’abolition de l’article

489 et l'article 290 ce qui risque de mettre en question l'assise idéologique- religieuse tant de la

monarchie (le Roi est "Amir Almouminine" commandeur des croyants) que du PJD (le parti qui

dirige le gouvernement).

Système judicaire Marocain face vis-à-vis

des personnes d’orientation LGBT

35. D’après les estimations de Nouaydi, il y a eu entre 10 et 20 cas d’accusation d’homosexualité qui

ont été portées devant les tribunaux dans les cours marocaines pendant les années 2015 et 2016.

Nouaydi a souligné qu’il n’a pas de statistique sur l’ampleur des cas. Décrivant, d’une manière

générale, le risque pour les personnes qui se trouvent en audience devant le juge, accusé pour

violation de l’article 489, il a qualifié ce risque comme ‘réel’ ; car une fois en procès il y a une très

haute probabilité de recevoir un jugement même en absence des preuves formelles ou des témoins

oculaires de l’acte sexuel. Cela s’explique par le fait que les PV (procès verbale) produits dans les

commissariats sont souvent faux ; les accusés peuvent, par exemple, être mené à signer le PV sous

pression sans la présence de leur avocat. Etant donné que ce sont les PV qui constituent l’élément

décisifs aux procès et que le juge y attache une grande importance, c’est difficile pour l’accusé de

se défendre. Si le PV est porté devant le juge, il y aura un grand risque pour l’accusé d’être

condamné.

36. Comme exemple des cas porté devant les tribunaux sans preuve de délit flagrant il a cité le cas de

Ksar El Kébir, où il a fait partie de la défense des hommes accusés pour homosexualité. L’incident a

eu lieu au mois de Novembre 2007 à Ksar El Kébir où un groupe d’hommes ont participé dans une

soirée festive dans une maison privée. A la suite d’un vidéo amateur qui a circulé sur les sites

internet, six hommes ont par la suite été accusés pour violation de l’article 489. Ils ont reçu par le

tribunal de première instance à Ksal El Kébir des verdicts de peine de prison même en défaut des

preuves d’acte sexuels. Les peines pour homosexualité allaient de quatre à six mois. Nouaydi a

souligné qu’en réalité on est condamné pour le fait d’être homosexuel même si c’est seul l’acte

homosexuel qui est pénalisé dans le Code.

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

37. Nouaydi a souligné qu’actuellement les jugent font le choix d’appliquer des peines minimales avec

souvent des amendes infimes en dépit d’un public parfois agressif.

38. Le Code pénal prévoit des peines de 6 mois à trois ans d’emprisonnement avec amende de 200 à

1.000 dirhams mais dans une affaire Béni Mellal qui a eu lieu au mois de mars 2016, le juge a

appliqué une peine de quatre mois, donc bien en dessous de la peine minimale prévue dans le

Code. D’après les connaissances de Nouaydi, la peine maximale qui a été appliquée dans le cas

d’homosexualité de Ksar Lakbir à un accusé a été dix mois de prison mais cela a été sur la base d’un

élément supplémentaire de vente illicite d’alcool qui s’est ajouté à la peine pour homosexualité.

39. Toutefois, Nouaydi a remarqué que les conséquences pour une personne qui a comparé devant le

juge et qui a été incarcérée sont importantes car aux yeux des gens du quartier et de sa famille la

honte est énorme si l’arrestation est connu dans la communauté. Les conséquences peuvent

inclure difficulté de trouver un emploi (car le casier judiciaire "vierge" est exigé), risque d'expulsion

de domicile si c'est un jeune dépendant, etc.

La protection possible auprès des autorités

40. D’après Nouaydi les personnes homosexuelles préfèrent subir les agressions homophobes plutôt

que de se présenter au commissariat demandant protection, pour éviter de se faire arrêter pour

homosexualité. Cela limite de façon considérable leur accès à la justice y compris au cas de violence

domestique, licenciement abusif, etc.

Situation pour les individus LGBT incarcérés

41. De manière générale, les conditions de détention sont précaires (surpopulation, nourriture

insuffisante, accès aux services de santé limité, manque de récréation digne). En tant qu’avocat,

Nouaydi a pu accéder aux prisons, et il y a fait le constat que les responsables des prisons

manquent de façon systémique dans leur devoir à faire connaitre à chaque détenu les règles

intérieures pour que la personne incarcérée connaisse ses droits et devoirs.

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Appendix C: Sources consulted

1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation: Interview with Mustapha El Bouazaoui, Consular and

Social Affairs

2. National Council of Human Rights (Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme - CNDH) : Interview with

Abderrafie Hamdi, Director, Khalid Hanefioui, Project Manager, Abdelhak Eddouk, Programme

Manager, Aminata Pagni, Programme Manager et Ayoub El Karoubi, Programme Manager

3. Moroccan Association of Human Rights (Association Marocaine de Droits Humains – AMDH),

Interview with Khadija Ainani, Vice President, and Said Tbel, member of the central board

4. The Aswat group (le collectif Aswat), interview with a member

5. Abdelaziz Nouaydi, lawyer

6. Abdessamad Dialmy, Professor

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Appendix D: Bibliography

Amnesty International (2008). Morocco/ Western Sahara: Drop charges of homosexuality against six men

and ensure their safety. 16 January 2008. Available at:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-

releases/2008/01/morocco-western-sahara-drop-charges-homosexuality-against-six-men-and-en/

Baily S (2013). Sexuality and Development in the Maghreb: Origins of Institutionalized Homophobia and the

Disruption of Development. Master Thesis. Brandis University. Available at:

http://bir.brandeis.edu/handle/10192/24711

Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,

Morocco: Situation of lesbians; treatment by the

authorities and society; state protection available; assistance or other organizations for the homosexual

community in Morocco, including bars, restaurants, etc.,

3 June 2004, MAR42699.FE. Available at

http://www.refworld.org/docid/41501c301f.html

CNDH (2012) La crise des prisons: Une responsabilité partagée. Rapport sur la situation dans les prisons et

les droits des détenus. Octobre 2012. Available at

http://cndh.ma/sites/default/files/crise_des_prisons_-

rapport_integral.pdf

European Union: European Asylum Support Office (EASO), EASO Country of Origin Information report

methodology, 10 July 2012. Available at

http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ffc33d32.html

European Union: European Asylum Support Office (EASO) (2015). Researching the situation of lesbian, gay

and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin. EASO Practical Guides Series. April 2015. Available at:

https://www.easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/public/Researching-the-situation-of-LGB-in-countries-of-

origin-FINAL-080515.pdf

Figueredo MA (2015). An Examination of Factors that Catalyze LGBTQ Movements in Middle Eastern and

North African Authoritarian Regimes:35-39.

Dissertations and Theses.

Paper 2478. Available at:

http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3483&context=open_access_etds

The Guardian (2014). Abdellah Taïa: 'In Arab countries, homosexuality is a crime. This has to change'. 3

October 2014. Available at:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/03/abdellah-taia-salvation-army-

interview-armee-du-salut-homosexuality-morocco

The Guardian (2015). Moroccan gay men to serve four months for posing close together for photograph. 22

June 2015. Available at:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/22/moroccan-gay-men-four-

months-prison-photograph

Hirsch K (2016). A Critical Analysis of the Public Sphere: How the LGBTQ Movement Utilizes and Occupies

Space in Morocco.

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection.

2380. Available at

http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2380

Human Rights Watch (2015). Morocco: Two Sentenced on Homosexuality Charge. March 4, 2015. Available

at:

www.hrw.org/news/2015/03/04/morocco-two-sentenced-homosexuality-charge

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Le Monde (2015). Maroc: Quatre mois de prison pour deux hommes accusés de s’être embrassés en public.

19 June 2015. Available at:

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/19/maroc-quatre-mois-de-

prison-pour-deux-hommes-accuses-de-s-etre-embrasses-en-public_4658281_3212.html

Le Monde, 02.06.2015 Deux militantes Femen arrêtées puis expulsées du Maroc

Available at:

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/06/02/deux-militantes-femen-arretees-puis-

expulsees-du-maroc_4646034_3212.html#tfhGZTIba8XMUdVq.99

US Department of State (2015). International Religious Freedom Report for 2015: Morocco. Available at:

https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper

US Department of State (2015).

Morocco 2015 Human Rights Report,

updated 5/23/2016:

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/253151.pdf

Têtu (2016):

Les agressions homophobes sont le quotidien de la population LGBTI au Maroc selon Aswat,

Jérémie Lacroix – 8 April 2016 Available at :

http://tetu.com/2016/04/08/entretien-collectif-aswat-maroc/

Legislation

Penal Code : Dahir n° 1-59-413 du 28 joumada II 1382 (26 novembre 1962). . Available in French at

http://adala.justice.gov.ma/production/legislation/fr/penal/Code%20Penal.htm

UUI, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 148: Orientering om Fact finding rapporter om forholdene i Marokko, fra udlændinge- og integrationsministeren

Appendix E: Terms of reference

LGBT

Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender persons, including LGBT jurisdiction,

a. Which laws under the Penal Code criminalize homosexual acts?

i. To which extent are charges of homosexual practices brought to court?

ii. If so, what were the sentences?

b. To what extent are persons identified as victims of acts of violence and open hostility as a

consequence of being perceived as an LGBT person?

i. To what extent do the authorities provide protection to LGBT persons against

violence?

c. Do open LGBT communities such as local associations exist in Morocco?