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Arkansas Supreme Court Decision Allows New DNA Testing in Case of the ​“West Memphis Three,” Convicted of Killing Three Children in 1993

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On April 18, 2024, the Arkansas Supreme Court decided 4-3 to reverse a 2022 lower court decision and allow genetic testing of crime scene evidence from the 1993 killing of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis. The three men convicted in 1994 for the killings were released in 2011 after taking an Alford plea, in which they maintained their innocence but plead guilty to the crime, in exchange for 18 years’ time served and 10 years of a suspended sentence. 

Morocco Arrests Primary School Teacher for Sexual Assault Against 8 Minors

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Police intervened after the girls’ parents filed complaints against the teacher.

Rabat – Moroccan police arrested a 44-year old primary school teacher for his alleged involvement in indecent assault and sexual harassment against eight girls in El Kelaa des Sraghna, 320.5 kilometers from Rabat.

Police in the town opened a judicial investigation on the case on Wednesday evening, said a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN). 

The town’s police department received complaints from the guardians of eight girls accusing the suspect of sexual harassment and indecent assault, according to the statement.

Police also submitted the students to medical expertise to determine his involvement in the case.

The 44-year old man has been placed in police custody, pending further investigations into the case.

Death penalty


Morocco’s penal code criminalizes sexual assault against children, and activists have been calling for even more severe punishment for such crimes.

Article 485 of the code stipulates that if a perpetrator is involved in a violent assault against a child or someone under the age of eighteen, an incapacitated person, a handicapped person, or a person known for his weak mental capacities, the culprit is punished with imprisonment ranging between 10 to 20 years.

The case of the eight girls comes as Morocco’s government vows to strengthten its laws to address child abuse.

Similar, outrageous cases sparked concerns in Morocco recently, especially after a heinous child rape and murder case in Tangier.

Last year, a 24-year-old man kidnapped, raped, and murdered  a 11-year old boy in the city. 

The crime brought to light pedophilia issues in Morocco. And with activists calling for stronger and firmer measures to protect children, a Moroccan court recently sentenced the man to death penalty.

Although Morocco has not executed an individual since 1993, some human rights groups say the de facto abolition of the death penalty is not enough.

The Moroccan Organization of Human Rights (OMDH), and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) are urging Morocco to join an international agreement ending capital punishment. 

Source: moroccoworldnews.com, Staff, February 5, 2021


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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Location: Morocco
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