2 Moroccans tried for homosexuality get 4 months

RABAT, Morocco — A Moroccan court has convicted two men of homosexuality and public indecency and sentenced each to four months in prison.

Prosecutors at the Temara court near the capital Rabat said at Monday’s trial that the men, aged 28 and 19, were caught having sex in a car and arrested. The men denied the charges.

Moroccan law outlaws homosexuality and gives a penalty of 6 months to three years in prison and a fine of up to $115.

According to the daily al-Akhbar on May 9, three other Moroccans from the northern town of Souq al-Arbaa recently received three years in prison for homosexuality.

Homosexuality is taboo in this conservative society. The defense lawyers in Monday’s case said if they thought the men were gay, they would not have represented them.