The UK's Home Office has refused to grant asylum to a Moroccan national who received death threats in Morocco for being gay, the Guardian reports on Thursday. The man who is HIV-positive has reportedly faced backlash and verbal abuse for his sexual orientation when he was living in Casabalanca. According to the same source, the 25-year-old Moroccan's asylum application was refused because «claimed treatment does not amount to persecution», while his «appeal was dismissed by a first-tier tribunal judge earlier this month». Speaking to the British newspaper, Abderrahim stated that «being gay in Morocco is hard; you can face persecution and be put in prison». Refusing to return to his country, he also said : «I know who I am now, I understand what's the meaning of freedom, I can walk in the street and not look behind my back. For me to go back to Morocco is to go back to darkness – homophobia in Morocco is rising». Abderrahim had previously applied for asylum in Amsterdam in January but the Dutch authorities sent him to the UK because he possessed a valid visa to the country. Meanwhile, a Home Office spokes person told the Guardian that «Abderrahim's claim was carefully considered on its individual merits against background country information and was refused in August 2017».
