MOROCCO
A Moroccan preacher in the fringe city of Oujda, known as Abdullah Nahari, has called for the death of Mokhtar El-Ghzioui, the editor of the daily Al-Ahdath Al-Maghribia newspaper after El-Ghzioui publicly declared his support for consensual sexual relations outside of the confines of marriage. In a TV interview last week he openly stated he would have no qualms with his mother or sister having such relationships. His statement was in support of Khadija Riyadi, the head of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights.
Riyadi called for the canceling of article 490 of the penal code criminalising sex outside of marriage in an interview on 18 June, sparking debates within state-run media. Nahari has been summoned by the local prosecutor to face the charge of inciting crime. El-Ghzioui himself has not been harmed. Three prominent Salafi clerics have lent Nahari their support.
BAHRAIN
Ali Hasan, an 11-year-old boy arrested by Bahraini police on 14 May, has been released after spending one month in detention. Hasan was arrested after a protest in his neighbourhood and held for a month in detention. Hasan was arrested for taking part in ‘illegal gatherings.’ The verdict of the court was that he would be allowed to return home, but would be monitored by a social worker for a period of one year. The charges against Hasan have not been dropped and according to the Associated Press his lawyer is far from happy with the result. “The decision today condemns him indirectly,” she said after the court’s ruling, “I am not happy with the decision. This boy is innocent and did not commit a crime.” The court announced Wednesday that it had adjourned Ali’s case and that it would deliver its verdict on 5 July.
LEBANON
A series of explosions, rocket fire and a gun battle in Lebanon has resulted in the deaths of two girls, and wounded 10 others. One 19-year-old girl Nadia Al-Owaichi, living in the border region of Wadi Khaled, was killed early morning when her house was struck by a rocket launched from Syria, according to a security official speaking to AFP. Five others in the area were wounded by gun battles and shelling. In the Akkar province, an eight year old Bedouin girl was killed in an explosion; five others were injured, including her parents who are in a serious condition. The explosion could have been caused by a landmine, according to AFP’s security source. Syrian television has meanwhile reported that dozens of terrorists had been killed in an attempt to infiltrate Syria from Lebanon.
