Eleven of the men accused of abducting and gang-raping a minor in Morocco were each sentenced today to 20 years in prison each.
In a video posted online in the summer of 2018 that went viral, 17-year-old Haditza Okaru recounted how she was abducted, detained, raped and tortured for months by young men from her village of Uland Ayad. near Beni Melal, in central Morocco.Remaining Time-0:00FullscreenMute
The testimony of the teenager, who showed the camera the marks from the cigarettes that went out on her and the obscene tattoos that the perpetrators had on her body, caused a stir in the kingdom and many called for an end to “the culture of rape and impunity”.
Three years later, the Beni Melal Court of Appeals convicted all 13 defendants on various charges, including child trafficking, rape, gang formation, kidnapping and illegal detention, said the victim’s lawyer, Ibrahim Hassan. Eleven were sentenced to 20 years in prison and the other two to three years in prison, one with suspension. They were also ordered to pay compensation of 200,000 dirhams (approximately 19,000 euros) to Haditza Okaru.
“Based on the seriousness of the crimes, our verdict seems normal, not harsh, as the trafficking of a minor is punishable by up to 30 years in prison,” said Hassan, who intends to appeal the ruling. “The victim is still receiving treatment, the consequences of those who lived will follow her throughout her life,” he explained.
The decision of Haditha Okaru to speak publicly about her martyrdom is a very rare event in the conservative society of Morocco. Too often rape victims remain silent for fear of retaliation or to tarnish family honor.
