Morocco: Arrests made in Khadija rape and torture case Published duration 28 August 2018

image copyright Abdul Wahid Al Saadi image caption The young woman said her captors forcibly tattooed her and burnt her with cigarettes

Police in Morocco have arrested 12 young men over allegations by a 17-year-old woman that she was brutally raped and tortured over a two-month period.

She described in a TV interview last week how she was abducted by a gang in June.

"I will never forgive them - they have destroyed me," she said.

The case caused outrage in Morocco and led to an online campaign to bring those responsible to justice.

A judge-led investigation is under way in the city of Beni Mellal - those arrested are aged between 18 and 27, an official told the AFP news agency.

The main suspect, 20, faces charges of rape, torture, kidnapping, making death threats and forming a gang. The others could face similar charges.

The young woman, Khadija, appeared on Moroccan station Chouf TV last week.

She showed scars, cigarette burns and tattoos on her body, which she said were inflicted on her by her captors.

"I tried to escape several times, but I was caught and beaten," she said. "They tortured me, they did not give me food or drink, and they did not even allow me to take a shower."

In response to the TV interview, thousands have signed an online petition calling for help for Khadija and the hashtag #JusticePourKhadija has become popular.

Many women in Morocco are the victims of violence in a deeply conservative society, human rights groups say.