Source: The Guardian 

Two Moroccan women accused of gross indecency for wearing short skirts in public have been acquitted of the charges, their lawyer has said.

Defence attorney Houcine Bekkar Sbai said on Monday: "This is a victory not only for these two women, but for all members of civil society who mobilised."

The women, aged 23 and 29, were arrested at a market in Inezgane, near the southern city of Agadir, in mid-June after they were heckled by merchants who accused them of wearing flimsy and immoral clothing.

Soon afterwards they were charged with gross indecency, with the police report noting that both women were wearing clothes that were "too tight".

Under Moroccan law, anyone found guilty of committing an act of public obscenity such as gross indecency faces up to two years in prison.

On Monday, Sbai told local media they would now attempt to prosecute the men who had harassed them in the Inezgane market.

The charges sparked a national outcry and shone a spotlight on the growing divide between liberals and the conservative factions that call for morality to be respected in the Muslim kingdom.

Rallies in support of the two women were held Agadir and in Casablanca last week, while hundreds of lawyers came forward with offers to help defend the women. More than 27,000 people signed onto a petition supporting them and reminding the authorities that wearing a dress is not a crime in Morocco.

The trial was condemned by Amnesty International, which warned it was "part of a pattern of discriminatory laws and practices" in the country.

It began weeks after a concert by Jennifer Lopez in Rabat, which was broadcast on public television, provoked anger, with local journalists criticising the singer for suggestive poses and being scantily dressed.

• Morocco