Morocco: Eight LGBTQ+ People Sentenced in Fez

This image is for illustrative purposes only and is not directly related to this story. Image source: Ramon Karolan

International LGBTQ+ rights organization All Out reported on October 5, 2026, that eight defendants in a case involving LGBTQ+ people in Fez, Morocco, had received sentences. Seven were given eight months in prison to be served immediately, while an eighth received a three-month suspended sentence. The defendants had been arrested in August, and rights groups have raised concerns about how the case was handled.

According to All Out and Moroccan magazine TelQuel, the incident began on August 19 in the Lirak neighborhood of Fez. The people detained included transgender individuals who had been sharing a rented home for several months. All Out said a crowd gathered outside, allegedly hurling insults, threats and stones at the residents. The people inside reportedly called the police for help, but officers arrested around ten of them. The alleged attack has not been independently confirmed, and reports differ over the initial number of people detained.

All Out said the first hearing, on August 24, coincided with a nationwide lawyers' strike, leaving the defendants without lawyers appearing on their behalf at that hearing. The organization has also questioned whether they received an effective legal defense in the proceedings leading to the sentences. As of this article's verification, no publicly accessible original court judgment had been located for independent review, and the status of any appeal could not be confirmed.

Background and analysis: Article 489 of Morocco's Penal Code criminalizes same-sex sexual acts and provides for prison terms of six months to three years, along with a fine. In a separate case, feminist and LGBTQ+ rights activist Ibtissame "Betty" Lachgar was sentenced in 2025 to 30 months in prison and fined 50,000 dirhams after posting a photograph of herself wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "Allah is lesbian." The appeal court upheld her sentence in October 2025. A bone cancer survivor, Lachgar was reported by rights groups in 2026 to be experiencing worsening health in detention. The cases have renewed attention to criminalization, fair-trial safeguards and freedom of expression. Details of the Fez proceedings should continue to be assessed against verifiable court records as they become available.

Africa Editorial Office: Imani Makena

Sources:

All Out case update

TelQuel report on the Fez arrests

Official Moroccan Penal Code text portal

FIDH–OMCT statement on Betty Lachgar