A few hours before the trial of journalist Taoufik Bouachrine, his alleged victims managed to get the support of a number of human rights associations. The Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (OMDH) praised in a statement the «courage» and «boldness» of these women, «knowing that beforehand these kinds of acts were not revealed to the public». The NGO, close to the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) party, denounced strongly the hate campaign launched against these women on social media and on some online newspapers. Supporting the victims, the association urged people to respect the dignity of those involved in this case. Alongside OMDH, four other associations showed on Wednesday support for the alleged victims. In a joint statement, the Federation of the Democratic League for Women's Rights, the Jossour Association, the Union for Women's Action and the Moroccan Association to Combat Violence Against Women denounced victim blaming the alleged victims were experiencing. They also defended the right of women sexually abused of filing complaints. Meanwhile, Khadija Ryadi, the former president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), questioned the accusations. «This arrest,» she said while speaking to media, is worrying in a period where Morocco is experiencing a very significant decline when it comes to freedom of speech. There have always been problems of repression against media outlets and independent journalists but in the last three years things have escalated.
