A verdict from the Tinghir Court of First Instance, issued earlier this week, has acquitted a 70-year-old man and his daughter-in-law of charges of adultery and incest. The decision has sparked a major controversy, particularly as the two defendants had confessed to their actions.
The two were brought before the court after a complaint was filed by the man’s wife. They had spontaneously confessed to the Royal Gendarmerie in Kelaat M’Gouna and to the Public Prosecutor that they had been in an illegal relationship for a long time. The man and his daughter-in-law admitted to the court that they had engaged in sexual acts superficially on more than five occasions. The Public Prosecutor had decided to prosecute them while in custody and referred them directly to trial.
Following the acquittal, the man’s wife and the daughter-in-law’s husband, who is currently abroad, both refused to drop their complaints. The Public Prosecutor’s Office then formally appealed the verdict, which many believe is not commensurate with the gravity of the crimes.
This moral scandal, which coincides with a similar case of incest in Ain Aouda, has caused significant public outcry. Human rights activists and associations have called on the state to review certain laws and take a hard stance against such crimes, rejecting any leniency for incest.
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