A Brazilian bikini model has shared her unexpected and difficult experience in Morocco, where she was arrested and accused of being transgender.
Liziane Gutierrez, a social media influencer, says she spent a month in jail after filming a police officer in Marrakesh. Before being taken to a women’s prison, Gutierrez says she was forced to prove her gender in front of officers.

Talking about the incident, she said: “It was a nightmare. I had to open my legs in front of two women and two men.” She added: “I never felt so humiliated in my life.”
The situation began on October 30, when Gutierrez’s bag was stolen outside her hotel in Marrakesh. Her phone and her husband’s work phone were inside, and both contained important information. Luckily, they still had another phone and used it to track the stolen devices.
The next day, one of the phones showed its location, so they quickly went to find the nearest police officer for help. Gutierrez explained: “We saw police officers near the hotel and went to talk to them.” Since they didn’t speak Arabic or French, she tried using English and Google Translate. But she says the officers ignored her, so she took out her phone and started recording them.

She said: “I wanted to show that if tourists need help, the police will just ignore them.” As soon as she did that, she says they handcuffed her and her husband, put them in a police car, and took them to the station.
The Brazilian embassy later confirmed her arrest to a celebrity news outlet in Brazil. Her husband was released the next day after giving the police the password to the phone used to record them. But for Gutierrez, the problem was far from over.

She was placed in a small holding cell, which she described as “complete hell.” She explained: “There were supposed to be no more than 10 girls, but there were 20.” She also said: “There were bugs and flies everywhere. People were smoking inside, and some had been there for a week.”
She was later moved to a larger prison and spent a month there before being released. Looking back on her experience, she said it was her worst travel situation ever. She added: “I was just trying to find help in a country where I didn’t speak the language.”
The Moroccan authorities have been contacted for a response on the matter.