Web pages about "Morocco"

Moroccan blogger freed

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:35:23 +0100

On 18 September 2008, the Court of Appeal in Agadir, Morocco, overturned the two-year sentence imposed on blogger Mohamed Erraji by the Court of First Instance for "lack of respect for the king". The court dropped all charges against him on the grounds of procedural irregularities in the previous trial.

Amnesty International has welcomed the decision by the Court of Appeal. The organization stressed that Mohamed Erraji should never have been charged in the first place.

Amnesty International has called on the Moroccan authorities to promptly abolish all provisions in Moroccan law that violate the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

Mohamed Erraji became the first blogger to be sentenced to two years imprisonment on Monday 8 September. He was also fined 5,000 dirhams (US$625) for “lack of respect due to the King”.

Moroccan blogger jailed for peacefully expressing his views

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:54:35 +0100

On Monday 8 September, a Moroccan man became the first blogger to be sentenced to two years imprisonment. Mohamed Erraji was also fined 5,000 dirhams (US$625) for “lack of respect due to the King”. He is not the first Moroccan to be jailed for peacefully expressing his views on the monarchy, which is still a “taboo” subject in Morocco.

On 11 September 2008, the defence’s request to provisionally release Mohamed Erraji was heeded by the Court of Appeals in Agadir. His appeal hearing is scheduled to take place on 16 September 2008.

Mohamed Erraji's conviction is reported to be related to an article he published on 3 September on Hespress, an independent Moroccan website. The article was entitled: “The King encourages the nation (to rely) on handouts”. The following day, he was summoned to the police station in the city of Agadir, where he lives, and questioned from 9am to 5pm. He was then asked to return to the police station on 5 September. He was kept in pre-arraignment detention and transferred to the Inzegaine prison on the night of 7 September.

On 8 September, he was brought in front of the Court of First Instance in Agadir and convicted without the presence of a lawyer, reportedly on the grounds that he had admitted writing the article.

His relatives were not informed of his detention. This was in breach of Moroccan law, which requires the police to notify relatives of detainees at the beginning of their detention. Although he was asked by the judge whether he had legal counsel, his family said that the speedy nature of the investigation and the trial effectively prevented him from seeking legal counsel.

“Mohamed Erraji is in prison solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and should be released immediately and unconditionally." Amnesty International said. "Such abuse damages the image projected by the Moroccan authorities of a state where respect for human rights has greatly improved.”

Mohamed Erraji, a 29 year old, has been commenting on social and political events in Morocco on his blog, which he describes as a space where he can freely express his thoughts.

In recent years, several people, including journalists, political activists and human rights defenders have been prosecuted and sometimes sentenced to prison terms for peacefully expressing their views on the monarchy. The Moroccan Penal Code and Press Code contain provisions that carry sentences of up to five years imprisonment and heavy fines for any “offences” against the King, the royal family or for “undermining the monarchy”.

Last year, eight members of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (Association Marocaine des Droits Humains, AMDH) were sentenced to prison terms of up to four years and fined for “undermining the monarchy”, after they had participated in May Day demonstrations during which slogans criticizing the monarchy were chanted. They were pardoned by the King in April this year.

The trial of Ahmed Benchemsi, editor of the weekly magazines Nichane and Tel Quel, charged in August 2007 with “undermining the monarchy” after he had published an editorial commenting on a speech by the King, was recently adjourned.

“It is high time the Moroccan authorities reform laws which contravene the fundamental right to freedom of expression, enshrined in the Moroccan Constitution and in international law." Amnesty International concluded. "As an immediate step, they should halt criminal proceedings against those who peacefully express their views and release those imprisoned solely on account of their opinions.”

Royal pardon for Moroccan demonstrators

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:29:19 +0100

Eight men convicted of undermining the monarchy in Morocco last year have been released after they were pardoned by the King on Friday, 4 April. Nine others facing judicial proceedings based on the same charges also benefited from the Royal pardon.

All of those pardoned were members of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. Seven of them were arrested on 1 may 2007 for chanting slogans critical of the monarchy, five in Lksar Elkbir and two in Agadir. They were sentenced to between three and five years in prison.

Ten others were arrested in later demonstrations in solidarity with the detainees, among them 73-year-old Mohamed Bougrine. He was also sentenced to prison and his health was said to deteriorate while in detention.

The monarchy remains a taboo subject in Morocco. Any criticism of the king can be considered to undermine the monarchy. In recent years, several people, including journalists and political activists, have been prosecuted and in some cases, sentenced to prison terms for peacefully expressing views critical of the monarchy.

Amnesty International, who adopted the men as prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights, welcomed their release.

However, the organization voiced concern that Moroccan legislation can be used to criminalise the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

Amnesty International is urging the Moroccan authorities to bring Moroccan legislation into line with their obligations under Article 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

UN examines human rights in member countries

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:59:20 +0100

All UN member states are facing a rigorous examination of their human rights records. The inaugural session of the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) working group began on Monday.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a new mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council and, over the next four years, it will regularly review the human rights obligations and commitments of all 192 Member States. Governments themselves will carry out this regular and systematic scrutiny.

The new process will address one of the main criticisms of the Council’s predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights, which was accused of considering only a small number of countries, and of often avoiding pressing situations for political reasons.

The UPR Working Group will, until 18 April, examine the human rights records of 16 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, India, Indonesia, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia and the UK.

This first session will be followed by two further sessions in 2008, so that 48 countries, selected by drawing lots, will have been scrutinized during the year.

An important feature of the new process is that governments of the countries under examination are expected to carry out a broad consultation among civil society. Amnesty International has lobbied energetically to ensure that all relevant voices are heard.

The organisation has submitted information on 14 of the 16 countries above and its members and supporters are working with civil society within each country to raise awareness of the new process.

Amnesty International said, in a statement issued on Monday, that this first session of the UPR Working Group will be key in setting the standard for future reviews, in terms of process as well as substance.

"Both reviewed and reviewing countries have an important role to play. Amnesty International looks to all member states to step up and help launch the UPR as an effective human rights mechanism," said Martin Macpherson, Director of the organization's International Law and Organisations Programme.

Freedom for Moroccan jailed over Facebook profile

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:30:53 +0000

A Moroccan who was jailed for creating a Facebook profile of a prince has been released from prison. Fouad Mourtada, a 26-year-old IT engineer, was freed on Tuesday after being pardoned by the king.

Fouad Mourtada had been given a three-year prison term and fined 10,000 dirhams (US$1,320) in February for creating a profile of Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid on Facebook. He was convicted after a trial in Casablanca.

Two Amnesty International delegates observed the trial. They said they were concerned that the trial failed to satisfy international fair trial standards.

Benedicte Goderiaux, one of the organisation's observers, welcomed the release, but said "Allegations that Fouad Mourtada was ill-treated by police during interrogation still need to be investigated."

Three years for profiling a Moroccan prince on Facebook

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:47:22 +0000

A 26-year-old IT engineer has been given a three-year prison term and fined 10,000 dirhams (US$1,320) for creating a profile of Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid on Facebook. He was convicted after a trial in Casablanca on Friday.

The trial was observed by two Amnesty International delegates. The organisation has said that it is concerned that the trial failed to satisfy international fair trial standards.

Fouad Mourtada said that two plain-clothes security agents arrested him on the morning of 5 February 2008 just after he left his home to go to work and forced him into a car.

He says they blindfolded him and covered him with a sheet, then drove him to an unknown place where they slapped and beat him until he "confessed" that he had placed a profile of the Prince on Facebook in order to "get girlfriends".

The official police report, however, gives 6 February as his date of arrest. His family was only notified of it at 5.30pm on 7 February. Moroccan law requires that arrests are notified once people are taken into police custody.

Fouad Mourtada was taken before an investigative judge on 8 February, without the presence of a lawyer. He then remained in custody until his trial on 22 February.

Fouad Mourtada's defence counsel urged the court at his trial to annul the proceedings because his rights had been breached during his arrest and interrogation. However, the court refused and also failed to order an investigation into his allegations of ill-treatment.

The court convicted him of modifying and falsifying information technology data and usurping an official’s identity.

At his trial, Fouad Mourtada admitted placing the profile of the Prince, the younger brother of Morocco’s Head of State, King Mohamed VI, on Facebook. He said he had done this out of admiration for him, not out of any wish to undermine the monarchy as asserted by the prosecution during the trial.

The prosecution contended that the fact that he had created an email address for the profile showed that he wished to derive some benefit from it. The case is now expected to go to appeal.

Amnesty International has called on the Moroccan authorities to ensure that allegations of unlawful ill-treatment are fully and impartially investigated.

"Anyone found responsible for ill-treatment should be brought to justice," said Amnesty International spokesperson Benedicte Goderiaux. "No information, including any 'confession' obtained under torture or ill-treatment should be admitted as evidence in court, in accordance with international standards, including human treaties to which Morocco is a party.

"The authorities should ensure that Fouad receives a new trial in accordance with international standards of fairness or that the conviction be reversed and he be released."

Video: Worldwide actions to close Guantánamo

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:28:43 +0000

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Thousands of people, including Amnesty International members and supporters from around the world, have taken action to mark the sixth anniversary of the first transfers of detainees to Guantánamo. Amnesty International staged protests in 30 countries on Friday, 11 January.

The world shouts 'Close Guantánamo'

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:55:25 +0000

Click on the pictures to the right to watch a slideshow with images of the day.

More than simply a call for closure, Amnesty International once again presented the US government with the organization’s framework for ending illegal detentions, whether at Guantánamo or elsewhere. This time, the framework was supported by over 1,200 parliamentarians from around the world.

In some countries, including Belgium and Ireland, some of the parliamentarians accompanied Amnesty International activists at their events and demonstrations.

The infamous orange jumpsuit – closely associated with the inhumanity and illegality of Guantánamo – became once more the icon of this anniversary. There was also street theatre, poetry readings, the recreation of Guantánamo cells in city centres, speeches, rallies and cyber activism.

US military chief wants to close Guantánamo

On Sunday, two days after the anniversary, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Navy Admiral Michael Mullen became the latest US official to say that Guantánamo should be shut down.

“More that anything else, I just think it has been the image – how Gitmo has become around the world, in terms of representing the United States. I believe from the standpoint of how it reflects on us that it’s been pretty damaging.”

What you can still do

Go to tearitdown.org and add your support to Amnesty International’s framework to end illegal US detentions.

Post a tearitdown banner in your website or blog.

Morocco/ Western Sahara: Drop charges of homosexuality against six men and ensure their safety

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:59:11 +0000

The Moroccan authorities must immediately release those convicted solely for their presumed sexual orientation, after an appeal court upheld convictions of "homosexuality" against six men on Tuesday, and repeal legal provisions criminalizing homosexuality, Amnesty International said.

The authorities must also ensure the safety of the men, in detention and upon their release, given the vilification they were subjected to prior to their arrest.

In a verdict announced yesterday by a Court of Appeal, the convictions were upheld although some sentences were lowered.

"Amnesty International considers that persons imprisoned solely on the basis of their alleged or real sexual orientation are prisoners of conscience, and should be immediately and unconditionally released," said Philip Luther, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa programme at Amnesty International.

The six were first convicted of "practising homosexuality" in a trial held on 10 December 2007 in the city of Ksar El Kebir. One of them, also convicted of selling alcohol illegally, was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment, three others to six months’ imprisonment, and two to four months. They were arrested at the end of November after public denunciations that a private party they had held was a "gay marriage".

The six men were tried according to Article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which penalizes "lewd or unnatural acts with persons of the same sex".

Laws which criminalize same-sex relations between consenting adults contravene international human rights standards, including the right to privacy, freedom from discrimination, and the right to freedom of expression and freedom of conscience.

"The public controversy sparked by this case in Morocco begs for an urgent review of the country’s discriminatory laws which criminalize homosexuality," said Philip Luther. "We urge the Moroccan government to drop the charges that contravene Morocco’s obligations under international human rights law."

Background

A video of the party, which was circulated in Morocco and on the internet, sparked calls for the men to be punished and angry demonstrations in Ksar el Kebir. The video, which was played at the trial, does not appear to show the same-sex relations the men were accused of.

Prior to the appeal trial, Amnesty International members around the world had called on the Moroccan authorities to drop the charges of homosexuality against the men, and to change their legislation so that it would conform to international human rights standards.

'Off the record' secret CIA detention

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:48:22 +0000

At least 39 individuals who remain missing are believed to have been subjected to enforced disappearance by the US authorities. The wives and children of other detainees in secret CIA custody have also been held in custody and interrogated, either as potential sources of information or to secure the capture of their husband or father.

Based on research by six leading human rights groups - Amnesty International, Cageprisoners, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and NYU School of Law, Human Rights Watch and Reprieve -, the briefing paper Off the Record provides the most comprehensive account of these 39 individuals' apprehension and detention to date, including four missing detainees here identified for the first time.

The full list includes cases of nationals from countries including Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Pakistan, Kenya and Spain. They were arrested in countries including Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Sudan, and transferred to secret sites run by the US government.

In many cases, the current fate and whereabouts of detainees included on the list are completely unknown. In other cases, some speculative information has emerged in the press or through research and investigation.

In all cases, the US government’s silence has created grave uncertainty. The US government must end the use of secret detention, clarify the fate and whereabouts of all people who have been secretly detained and allow them access to their families and to adequate legal process.

The US has the duty to detain and bring to justice anyone responsible for crimes but it must do so in a manner that respects human rights and the rule of law.

Background

On 6 September 2006, President Bush finally admitted what had long been reported – that, in its "war on terror", the USA administration has been resorting to secret detentions and enforced disappearance, which is a crime under international law. The transfer of a detainee to Guantánamo in April 2007 proved that the US network of secret detention was still operating, though the authorities have never disclosed how many individuals have been secretly detained.