The first hearing of the appeal trial for the case of the little girl raped by three men when she was 11 years old in a village between Rabat and Meknes was to start on Thursday, but it has been postponed until April 13. This, at the collective request of the plaintiff’s lawyers.
With our correspondent in Rabat, Nadia Ben Mahfoudh
It is to hear a key witness in the case that the Attorney General has decided to postpone the trial until next week. Me Chaoui, president of the Moroccan Association for Victims’ Rights, is one of the plaintiff’s lawyers. “ The file was postponed today for the summoning of the witness, who was on call while she [la plaignante] was raped. »
This witness is the cousin of one of the defendants. A minor, too, she must be accompanied by her parents to be heard. Which explains this postponement of a week.
The complainant was accompanied by her grandmother and her father on Thursday. The latter, faced with the mobilization around his daughter’s case, said he was reassured about the outcome of this appeal trial. ” I have a lot of hope. I believe in the justice of my country and I am sure that the judgment to come will be just. »
Thirty lawyers volunteered to defend the girl. Me Chaoui explain the reasons for this mobilization. ” It is an opportunity, through this file, to denounce the breaches and insufficiencies of the penal code concerning rape and sexual violence, especially concerning women and children. The collective of lawyers now has a week to finalize its preparation for the resumption of the trial.
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