The case of young shepherd Mohamed Bouslikhen, who died under mysterious circumstances in Aghbalou in Midelt province, has taken a new turn after authorities opened a murder investigation. Sabri Lhou, the lawyer representing the child's parents, said that the public prosecutor at the Court of Appeals in Errachidia has referred the case to an investigating judge at the same court, requesting an inquiry against an unknown party for the crime of premeditated murder, in accordance with Article 392 of the Penal Code. In a Facebook post, Lhou explained that the investigating judge has summoned several individuals, including the victim's parents, to testify as witnesses, and has scheduled the first preliminary investigation session for August 28. «The battle for truth is still in its early stages», he wrote, adding that his clients will again submit requests to the public prosecutor, requests that have so far gone unanswered. «No order has been issued to exhume and re-examine the body, to conduct a forensic or judicial investigation, or to hear from the doctor or judicial police involved in the initial inquiry», he noted. The incident dates back to last June, when the boy's body was found in Aghbalou with a rope around his neck. In a statement issued on July 9, 2025, the public prosecutor confirmed that judicial investigations began immediately after the discovery. An initial autopsy determined the cause of death to be strangulation by rope, with no evidence of sexual or physical assault, while emphasizing that the investigation remains ongoing. Despite these findings, human rights organizations and the victim's family continue to reject the suicide hypothesis, insisting that the circumstances warrant deeper scrutiny.
