One of the defendants was sentenced to 20 years in prison and the other two to 10 years each. At first instance, sentences of two years and 18 months in prison were pronounced.
The decision in the first instance had outraged, by its leniency, more than one Moroccan. The Rabat Court of Appeal increased, on the night of Thursday April 13 to Friday April 14, the sentences of three men convicted of repeatedly raping a young girl. One of the accused receives 20 years in prison, the other two 10 years each. At first instance, in March, sentences of two years and 18 months in prison were pronounced.
Sanae, an 11-year-old minor at the time of the incident and who is 12 today, “suffered repeated rapes under threat”, in a village near Rabat, which resulted in a pregnancy, according to women’s rights NGOs. Sanae became the mother of a child aged one year and one month today.
An appeal in cassation considered
As in the first instance, the three men were prosecuted on appeal for “misappropriation of a minor” and “indecent assault on a minor with violence”. The defendants, aged 25, 32 and 37, faced up to 30 years in prison, according to the Moroccan penal code. Their sentences were accompanied by damages totaling 140,000 dirhams (more than 12,500 euros). At first instance, they were ordered to pay a total of 50,000 dirhams (4,500 euros).
Faced with questions from the judge, the prosecution and the civil party, the three defendants denied in block. One of them, faced with the DNA test which proves that he is the biological father of Sanae’s child, simply repeated “I don’t know.” For her part, Sanae “reiterated his testimony” before the court, lawyer Mohamed Sebbar told AFP.
“We are satisfied with the verdict which brought justice to the victim, that said we did not understand why two defendants received only 10 years each”Abdelfattah Zahrach, another lawyer for Sanae, told AFP when he left the court, adding that he was considering an appeal. “after consultation with the family”.