A British man spent 20 days in jail in Morocco for “homosexual acts.” He’s now been released and has returned to the UK and he reports that the experience was…a nightmare.
He said prison conditions were “horrendous”, with inmates as young as 10 and as old as 90 being held “for nothing”.
“I can hardly move my arm now, from 20 nights sleeping on the floor – I just want to go home and sleep in a soft bed,” he said.
He had no idea about the campaigning for his release carried out by his family, who said they were “ecstatic” about his return.
“I’m so proud of them – I couldn’t have a better family,” Mr Cole added.
He said the attitudes to homosexuality in Morocco “are about 100 years out of date”.
Another man, Jamal Jam Wald Nass, who was with Cole was also jailed, and Cole doesn’t know what happened to him. He and his family plan to consult their legal team to find out how they can help him.
sc_770d159609e0f8deaa72849e3731a29d says
Jamal Jam Wald Nass has been freed:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-29560222
Ophelia Benson says
Oh, excellent!
He’s out on bail pending an appeal judgment in several weeks, so he’s not all the way free yet, but at least he’s out of the crappy jail.
And so what if he did? Good luck to them.
sonofrojblake says
“100 years out of date”? Ray Cole is from the UK. Homosexual activity was still a criminal act in some parts of the UK until October 1982. Let’s not pretend we’re so very advanced.
Garrett says
sonofrojblake, the guy who was just released from a nightmarish situation for a non-existent crime is allowed some hyperbole. Your point also assumes that he considers UK law to the abiter of right attitudes on homosexuality, when it’s not unreasonable to think he would have called UK attitudes on homosexuality in 1982 out-of-date as well.