The death of a student worries Moroccans studying in Ukraine

On Monday, June 1st, Ukrainian newspaper Kopirkin reported that a Moroccan student was stabbed to death, Sunday, in the city of Odessa. Quoting the Ukrainian National News (UNN), the newspaper wrote that the stabbing took place in Arcadia beach.

The victim, who was identified as a student at one of Odessa’s universities, died in the ambulance, the same source stressed, adding that an investigation was opened by the police.  

On Tuesday, the Moroccan embassy in Kiev confirmed to Yabiladi the death of the Moroccan student. In a written message, the embassy revealed that the deceased is a Kenitra-native student who was born in 1999. He arrived in Ukraine in January, 2019, to study in Odessa.

«The young man was stabbed minutes after leaving a nightclub», a source close to the case told Yabiladi, adding that «he was knifed by an individual from Tajikistan and based in Kiev».

The Moroccan embassy said that it was informed on Saturday night about the stabbing. «A crisis team has been set up, Sunday morning, to collaborate with the Ukrainian authorities», an official from Morocco’s embassy in the Eastern Europe country told Yabiladi.

The victim’s family is in touch with Moroccan embassy, which confirmed that the victim's remains will benefit from a repatriation coverage, provided by insurance. «The embassy is teaming up with the Ukrainian authorities to help repatriate the deceased young man», the same source said, adding that the «suspect was arrested by the police».

The «worrying situation» of Moroccan students in Ukraine

According to the Moroccan embassy in Kiev, Sunday’s stabbing is added to seven similar cases that involved Moroccan students this year. «Several meetings have been held with the Ukrainian authorities to discuss the situation of Moroccan students», the embassy said, referring to issues related to «drugs and alcohol».

«The situation is dramatic. This is not the first time we hear of this», a source close to the file told Yabiladi. «All of these 8 students lost their lives in similar circumstances», it added.

The same remarks were made by students based in Ukraine. Nadine, who has been living in Ukraine for six years, recalls that when she «first arrived in Ukraine», her classmate «stabbed his Moroccan roommate». «They were both drunk (…) the guy succumbed to his wounds and died hours later», she said.

Another Moroccan student in Kharkiv said that it is «normal to have students deal with these problems in a host country». However, he confirmed that he knew «Moroccan students who have been confronted with difficult situations» in the city.

His mother, who lives in Morocco, stressed that she is really concerned about the well-being of her son and other students sent to study there. «Every time my phone rings and it is a foreign number, I panic», she said on Tuesday, referring to «a series of incidents that involved Moroccan students in Ukraine.