Muezzin charged with 8 year prison sentence for sexual assault, rape of minor

In a recent verdict handed down by the First Instance Chamber of the Ouarzazate Court of Appeal, A. M., who had served as the Muezzin for one of the mosques in the Amsamarir community within the province of Tinghir, has been convicted of homosexuality and indecent assault on a minor under the age of 18 through the use of force and intimidation. 

The judgment, rendered last Thursday, resulted in an eight-year prison sentence for A. M.

Concurrently, the court issued a six-month prison sentence and a fine of MAD 2.000 to the minor involved with A. M., identified as A. A. An intriguing facet of this case is the court’s decision to hold all the defendants responsible for their collective actions, emphasizing the absence of coercion.

Further consequences unfolded, as civil compensations were granted: A. A. received MAD 60.000 Moroccan. At the same time, defendants A. A. and B. R and E. E collectively offered MAD 20.000 Moroccan in civil compensation to A. M., the principal defendant.

This case stems from events transpiring in mid-August, when the Ouarzazate Court of Appeal’s investigating judge, prompted by the public prosecutor’s referral, detained four individuals from Ouarzazate. 

These individuals were implicated in acts related to homosexuality, indecent assault on a minor, extortion, and failure to report. The case stirred controversy for the involvement of the Muezzin.

Following an audience with the King’s Attorney General at the Ouarzazate Court of Appeal, the four individuals were subsequently referred to the investigating judge with a request for continued scrutiny in the event of their arrest.

There have been multiple reported incidents of children being sexually abused in the past year, some of which received more attention than others because very young children were harmed. Prison sentences don’t seem to bother pedophiles as much as they once did, hence the rising number of cases.