Morocco teens not guilty of homosexuality, returned to parents who turned them in

The girls must now stay under their parents' guardianship until they're 18 (APTN)
The girls must now stay under their parents' guardianship until they're 18 (APTN)

Two teenagers in Morocco have been found not guilty on homosexuality charges, and returned to the families who turned them in to authorities in the first place.

The girls, aged 16 and 17, were facing charges for "lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex". They were arrested in October after one of their mothers turned them in.

If convicted, the girls faced between six months and three years in jail.

"The judge decided to give back, definitively, the two girls to their parents in order to correct their behaviour, but also in order to preserve their environment, because it's in their own best interest," says Rachid El Ghorfi, one of the girls' lawyers.

Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) is one of a number of groups calling for the law to be changed.

"Because the law does not only criminalise things, it also has an educational role," says activist Omar Arbib.

"So what we say is that if we change the law, maybe we can change mentalities too, in society."

Mr El Ghorfi says while it's good news, he's not taking it as a win.

"I'm not saying it's like a victory because they should have never been in front of the prosecutor or the judge."

The girls must now stay under their parents' guardianship until they're 18.

Newshub.