Articles for Morocco

Morocco: Mohamed Hajib arbitrarily detained, subjected to torture and mistreatment in prison

M. Mohamed Hajib, a 31 year-old German-Morrocan man, is detained at Morocco's Salé prison where the torture and mistreatment to which he has been subjected is continually escalating.

Hajib was arrested 17 February 2010 at Casablanca airport, after having been detained in Pakistan for six months. On 24 June 2010, following a rushed trial, he was sentenced to ten years in prison under the accusation of "creating a criminal group" and "financing terrorism". After appeal, his sentence was reduced to five years on January 9, 2012.

14 Jun 2012

Morocco: Sofiane Alazami has been found

Sofiane Alazami, who disappeared in the night of 5 through 6 May 2012 on his way to Casablanca, has finally been found.

On 21 May 2012, a person calling themselves an official of the psychiatric hospital of Ar-Razi in Salé called his father to inform him that his son was being held in the establishment. The same day, his father went to find him.

23 May 2012

Alkarama seized the Special Procedures of the United Nations of the case of Sofiane Alazami today, who was abducted on the night of 5-6 May 2012 while he was on his way to Casablanca to look for work.

16 May 2012

Morocco: Rachid Niny, editor of Al Massae daily, was released after serving his full sentence

Rachid Niny, editor of Al Massae, one of the most important Moroccan Arabic newspapers, left the prison of Akkacha (Casablanca) on 28 April 2012 around three in the morning, after serving his sentence of one year's imprisonment.

On 9 June 2011 he was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and a fine of 1,000 dirhams for "harming constitutional bodies and public figures."

01 May 2012

Morocco: Mourad Aibous tortured and accused of manufacturing explosives

On 13 April 2012, Alkarama submitted the case of Moroccan citizen Mr. Mourad Aibous to the Special Procedures of the United nations. Mr. Aibous, accused of making explosives, was tortured and sentenced following an unfair trial. The case of the 21-year-old Islamic Studies student demonstrates the blindness of the policy of repression of Islamic groups. The policy reappeared in Morocco following the bombings in Casablanca in 2003. Mr.

13 Apr 2012

Morocco: Abdelfattah Dihaj sentenced on the basis of confessions extracted under torture

Today, Alkarama submitted the case of a Moroccan citizen, Abdelfattah Dihaj, to the Special Procedures of the United Nations. Mr. Abdelfattah Dihaj was tortured and sentenced following an unfair trial in relation to the attack of 28 April 2011 on Argana Café in Marrakech.

Abdelfattah Dihaj, 40-years-old, was arrested for the attack on the Argana Café. He was accused of not having speaking out against those involved in the attack on 28 April 2011.

09 Apr 2012

Alkarama was informed on Saturday 4 February 2012 of the release by the Moroccan authorities of Mohamed Hasan al-Kattani, Omar al-Haddouchi, and Mohammad Abdul Wahab al-Rafiki.

07 Feb 2012

Morocco: the UN appeals for the release of Sheikh Mohamed Hassan Echerif El-Kettani, arbitrarily detained for eight years

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN convened in Geneva and notified the international community of its decision concerning the detention of Mr. Mohamed Hassan Echerif El-Kettani. They issued an opinion that his detention is arbitrary and called upon the Moroccan authorities to release him immediately and pardon him.

An eminent religious personality in Morocco, Mr. El-Kettani was arrested by the police in Salé on 6 February 2003 on false charges and was immediately released by the royal prosecutor.

24 Nov 2011

Morocco: Kingdom of Morocco examined by the experts of the Committee against Torture

On 1 and 2 November, the experts of the Committee against Torture examined the national report of Morocco at the Palais Wilson in Geneva. Present at the review was a Moroccan delegation headed by M. Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kindom of Morocco at the UN, as well as representatives of Moroccan civil society and Alkarama.

See the videos of the sessions of the review below:

See the videos on the links below

04 Nov 2011

Morocco: Alkarama presents its alternative report to the Committee against Torture

Alkarama submitted its alternative report to the Committee against Torture in preparation of the review of the Kingdom of Morocco by this UN body on 1 and 2 November. The report, called 'Morocco Faces New Challenges' was prepared in cooperation with our Moroccan civil society partners, notably the Mountada (Forum) Alkarama, based in Casablanca.

Alkarama will meet with the experts of the Committee on 31 October, just before the official review, to brief them on our key concerns.

26 Oct 2011