Kenitra appeals court increases sentence for knife attack that left woman disfigured

The Kenitra Court of Appeal has sentenced the man who slashed a young woman’s face with a knife to two and a half years in prison, overturning the initial light sentence of just two months handed down by the Mechra Bel Ksiri court. He has also been ordered to pay 200,000 dirhams in damages to the victim, who was left permanently disfigured and required 88 stitches. The brutal assault, which left her unable to work for 35 days, sparked widespread shock and outrage across the country.

In May, the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM) expressed deep concern and disappointment over the original verdict. In a statement, the organization emphasized that this was not an isolated case but part of a troubling pattern in which women, especially those in vulnerable social and economic situations, are subjected to violence without receiving proper protection from the justice system.

The new ruling is being hailed as a significant step toward justice. On social media, many users welcomed the appeal court’s decision, seeing it as a message that such acts of violence will not go unpunished.