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Morocco: the arrested civil society activists must be freed
Cairo, June 10, 2007 The Moroccan authorities must release the detained Moroccan civil society activists, who were arrested after the first of May demonstrations and who were charged with "insulting sacred doctrines." It must stop the campaign against of violations and restrictions against freedom of opinion and expression, said the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) today. The first of May was the start of the campaign. The security forces broke into the Moroccan workers' union headquarters in Agadir, just after the end of Labor Day walk. As a consequence, workers' union activists were beaten and abducted, Abd el Rehim Qarad, member of the executive office of the National Syndicate for Farmers and Mahdy El Barboushy, member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. Moreover, on the same day, Al-Qasr Al- kabeer City has witnessed arrests and investigations campaign on a wide range. El Tuhamy El Khayat, Chair of the National Association for Unemployed Graduates, was arrested and interrogated then he was released only to be rearrested on May 3, with four other activists (Rabie el Risouny, Yousef el Rakab, Osama Bin Masoud and Ahmed el Kaatib). The seven activists were charged - on the background of Labor Day assembly - with "insulting sacred doctrines." On May 10, 2007, the Court of First Instance in Agadir, issued a verdict sentencing Abd el Rahim Qurad and El Mahdy el Barboushy to two years in prison and a fine of 10000 Dirham, despite their claim that confessions were extracted fro them under torture. On May 22, the Court of Firs Instance in Al-Qasr Al-kabeer, issued a verdict charging Al-Qasr Al-Kabeer prisoners of "insulting sacred doctrines," and they were sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 10000 Dirham. "We couldn't understand the relation between sacred doctrines and Labor Day, but when we gathered more information, we found out that the charge is insulting royal doctrines. The phrasing of the published news was unfair and deceitful, moreover, arresting activists for criticizing the royalty is a violation of their freedom of expression, and when criticizing the royalty becomes an insult to sacred doctrines, the government's crime becomes even more dangerous," Gamal Eid, the Executive Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said. HRinfo declares its complete solidarity with the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and the Moroccan civil society activists and calls for their release. It also expresses its fears that this is a beginning of a drawback in a burgeoning democratic openness. These incidents remind us of the harsh years witnessed by the Moroccan activists and they call for a democratic struggle in order to avoid returning to those days. |
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