By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 2:53am GMT 20/03/2008
A Moroccan internet prankster jailed for pretending to be the brother of the king on the social networking site Facebook has been given a royal pardon.
Human rights groups had expressed outrage after Fouad Mourtada, a 27-year-old computer engineer, was sentenced by a court to three years in jail and fined 10,000 dinar (£650) for "the use of false information and usurping the identity" of Prince Mourlay Rachid.
Mourtada, a graduate of the prestigious Mohammedia Engineers School in Rabat, had insisted he had meant no harm by setting up a Facebook page purporting to belong to King Mohammed VI's younger brother.
advertisement
He said at his trial: "I admire him, I like him a lot and I have never caused him any wrong, it was just a joke. I am innocent."
His lawyer had pointed out that Facebook contained sites for President Sarkozy, George Bush and Tony Blair, as well as sport and film stars, without any proof that they were real.
Amnesty International, which condemned Mourtada's sentence as disproportionate to the offence, had been particularly worried by the judge's claim that he had "undermined the sacred integrity of the realm as represented by the prince".
His release from jail in Casablanca on Tuesday evening followed an international campaign for his release by human rights groups and ordinary internet users.
Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom campaign group, welcomed the royal pardon but added: "Nevertheless, we regret that his liberation was due to a royal pardon and not a fair verdict."
The case illustrates that whatever the internet's generally liberating effect on free speech elsewhere in the world, any sort of criticism or mockery of the royal family remains very risky in Morocco.
Ahmed Benchemsi, a Moroccan journalist, faces up to five years in jail over an article he wrote about one of the king's speeches.
In another official reprieve for another Facebook user, a computer engineering student in Canada learned he would not be expelled for running a study group on the site.
Ryerson University in Toronto decided that Chris Avenir, 18, had been charged with 146 counts of academic misconduct - one for each of the classmates who discussed their course work on his Facebook page.
Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright
Friday, March 21, 2008
Morocco's Facebook 'prince' given royal pardon
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Azerbaijan Cultural Days inaugurated in Morocco
[ 04 Mar 2008 20:02 ]
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=45152
Baku. Turan Huseynova-APA. The Azerbaijan Cultural Days were opened in the headquarters of Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). APA reports that Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, the Director General of ISESCO, Abulfaz Garayev, Azerbaijani Minister of Culture and Tourism and the Secretary General of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture attended the inauguration.
Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri said that the Azerbaijan Cultural Days reflected an advanced form of cultural dialogue.
The Director General strongly condemned the savage Israeli aggression and called upon the international community to assume its moral and legal responsibility to deter Israel and force it to stop its aggression and to abide by the international law.
The Director General stated also: “while we celebrate the Azerbaijan Cultural Days and promote dialogue among cultures and alliance of civilizations, we are deeply saddened to see the ongoing savage aggression led by the Israeli forces against the disarmed Palestinian people in Gaza.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Morocco, Polisario to start new round of W. Sahara talks
Morocco, Polisario to start new round of W. Sahara talks
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front resume UN-sponsored talks on the disputed Western Sahara in suburban New York Monday amid warnings that failure to clinch a deal could lead to renewed fighting.
UN spokeswoman Michele Montas confirmed Friday that a third round of closed-door discussions would be held in the New York suburb of Manhasset from Monday through Wednesday to try to resolve the 32-year dispute.
As in the two previous exploratory rounds held last year at the same location, the secluded Greentree estate in Manhasset, UN envoy for Western Sahara Peter Van Walsum will serve as mediator.
The two rounds held in June and August failed to narrow wide differences between Rabat and the Polisario independence movement.
And diplomats say they do not anticipate any breakthrough this time around either.
Last month, the Algerian-backed Polisario warned it would resume its armed struggle against Morocco if negotiations fail.
"We hope that Morocco this time is going to cooperate for the full implementation" of UN resolutions on the issue and "will engage in substantive negotiations," Ahmed Bujari, the Polisario's UN representative, told AFP Friday.
He said the Moroccans must agree to discuss not just their proposal for broad autonomy for the Western Sahara but also the Polisario's call for a referendum that would include the option of independence for the former Spanish colony.
"Our people have been frustrated (in their aspiration for independence)," he said. We believe peace is possible... But a new failure of the (negotiation) process would have negative consequences for the entire (northwest African) region)."
"It could push us on the way to a resumption of hostilities and Morocco will be responsible," he added.
Last October, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to urge the two sides to resume stalled talks "without preconditions" to settle their 32-year dispute over the Western Sahara.
It passed a resolution calling on the parties to "engage in substantive negotiations ... without preconditions and in good faith ... with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution."
Morocco annexed the phosphate-rich, mainly desert Western Sahara in the 1970s following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, sparking a war with the Polisario guerrillas.
The two sides agreed a ceasefire in 1991, but a promised self-determination referendum never materialized and since 2002 Rabat has insisted that holding such a plebiscite is no longer realistic.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Spanish FM visits Morocco to end diplomatic crisis
MADRID, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos visited the Moroccan capital Rabat on Thursday in a bid to end a two-month diplomatic crisis, local media reported.
Moratinos conveyed a message "of friendship" from Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, hoping to reinstate their bilateral relations as soon as possible.
The message states Spain's "willingness" to reinforce the bilateral ties "based on mutual respect" and on "future perspectives" both countries share, Moratinos told reporters.
Moroccan Ambassador Omar Azziman to Spain was recalled for consultations because of a controversial visit by Spain's King Juan Carlos to Ceuta and Melilla on Nov. 5 and Nov. 6, his first as head of state. Spain sees both cities as its enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, while Morocco claims them as its own.
During his trip, Moratinos met with his Moroccan counterpart Taieb Fassi Fihri, who described their talks as "highly important," but declined to elaborate until he informed King Mohammed VI about the talks and handed over the message to the monarch.
Moratinos also said Morocco has to decide when it is convenient for Azziman to return, stressing that Spain wishes to "recover the complete intensity" of the bilateral relation as soon as possible.
from
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/04/content_7363867.htm
Senegal and Morocco resume normal diplomatic ties
DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal and Morocco re-established normal diplomatic ties on Friday after they withdrew their ambassadors in a dispute over Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.
Rabat recalled its ambassador to Senegal in December to protest comments made by ex-minister Jacques Baudin, a member of the opposition Senegalese Socialist Party, who called for the northwest African territory to be made a free state.
He also praised the Polisario Front, which has fought for Western Sahara's independence since Morocco annexed it in 1975.
Senegal branded Morocco's move "unfriendly" and recalled its own envoy to Rabat.
After a meeting between Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio and his Moroccan counterpart Tab Fassi Fihri, an agreement was reached on Friday for the immediate return of ambassadors, Senegal's state news agency APS reported.
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade's Senegalese Democratic Party, which ended 40 years of Socialist Party rule in a 2000 election, has supported Morocco's offer of autonomy for Western Sahara.
Some strains have emerged in the relationship between Dakar and Rabat, however.
In October, Senegal took back control of national airline Air Senegal from Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM), which had controlled it since 2000, after what it said were heavy financial losses.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved. | Learn more about Reuters
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Morocco's 2007 Elections
Samir Ben-Layashi - 12/21/2007
This article discusses the social and political context of Morocco's 2007 parliamentary elections, which brought surprising results. It attempts to explain why the moderate Islamic party, the PJD, did not achieve an overwhelming victory as was expected. It also explores why the formerly undefeatable socialist party, the USFP, lost popularity. Finally, it examines the remarkable comeback of the historically conservative Independent Party, the IP. The article points out that while the PJD may have lost on the national scale, it won in most of the big cites--the political, economic, and intellectual capitals of Morocco. The IP, on the other hand, succeeded mainly in the rural areas, where voting is largely influenced by state propaganda, notables, and family alliances.
The end of summer 2007 marked three important events in Morocco: the beginning of the academic school year, Ramadan, and elections for the lower chamber of parliament.[1]
While under normal conditions elections alone are not a cause of concern for citizens, the new school year and Ramadan presented a considerable financial burden to the average Moroccan family. Parents deliberated between heading to the bookstores to buy school supplies for their children and going to the markets to buy the traditional Ramadan fare for iftar (the point at which the fast is broken) and suhur (the last meal before the fast).[2] Worse, the prices of basic food items--sugar, tea, flour, cooking oil, and the traditional khubz bread--gradually increased. The population grew irritable; a few sporadic (but spontaneous) demonstrations were reported, prompting the state to react quickly with new subsidies for bread.[3] While Moroccans were more concerned with the price of bread than that of gasoline, the increase in gas prices resulted in a general strike against the public transportation system.[4]
All summer long, Morocco's national television station, RTM, attempted to persuade the MRE (Marocains résidant à l'étranger or Moroccans residing abroad) to send remittances to their families, to invest in Morocco, and even to come back "home." It is important to note that there exists a second generation of Moroccans, which was both born and resides abroad. First generation Moroccans and recent Moroccan immigrants who still hold their Moroccan passports are denied the right to vote in Moroccan elections from their new countries of residence. A number of Moroccan NGOs in France have been critical of this policy and requested the right for Moroccan citizens to participate in Moroccan parliamentary elections by casting ballots from the Moroccan consulate in France.[5] Morocco has yet to respond to their request but in the meantime has continued its campaign to persuade Moroccan expatriates to invest in the country and to send money to their families there.
From mid-August 2007, the state began to promote the elections scheduled for September 7. As the elections neared, RTM was flooded with commercials urging youth to fulfill their "national and social duty." While prior to this, official discourse had qualified the voting as a "national" duty, now for the first time it was also being referred to as a "social" obligation. In line with this, the main theme of the TV talk-show Hiwar, hosted by the popular Mustafa Alawi, became the elections and the youth's national conscience. In addition, RTM, along with the Interior Ministry, artists, local organizations, members of civil society, and other well-known figures, led a national campaign to mobilize voters around the kingdom, especially in the rural areas.
In an effort to reach out to the people and to connect the capital, Rabat, with the citizens of remote villages, a traveling caravan was organized by the 2007 Daba association (daba meaning "now" in Moroccan dialect), which trekked across the entire country. Notably, for the first time a written Tamazight (Berber) and colloquial Arabic Darija were used to address a large part of the population that does not understand literary Arabic or French. Customarily, for such official events as election campaigning, the state has either used French or literary Arabic; Tamazight and Darija have been exclusively reserved for folkloric themes, popular festivities, and soap operas.
Youth and old oppositionists of Hassan II's regime collaborated with Moroccan rap artists to declare: "The old time is over, now we have to act, we have to vote," alluding to the previous autocratic ancient régime of Hassan II. On the eve of the elections, both the official and the independent press managed to create an impression that that the rate of participation in the elections was expected to reach about 90 percent and that the contestable winner would be the Islamic party, the PJD (the Justice and Development Party, or Hizb al-Adala wa-Tanmiyya). Even on the eve of the elections, the French press, which showed increased interest in the Moroccan elections, anticipated a huge victory for the PJD.[6]
Street polls indicated the same projections: The PJD was likely to increase its representation in parliament from 42 of 325 seats to 70 or more.[7] Yet other voices in the mainstream press,[8] civil society (2007 Daba), as well as some anti-mainstream newspapers--such as Le Monde Amazigh,the organof the Cultural Amazigh (Berber) Movement--predicted a very low voter turnout.[9] After all, it was the predicted low voter turnout that prompted 2007 Daba to organize the "citizenship caravan"--equipped with a radio and TV station--with the aim of mobilizing voters. However, this effort did not produce the intended results, and the voices of the representatives of civil society were not heard. [10] Nevertheless, the prevailing attitude on the eve of the elections was that that the Moroccan electorate had acquired a significant degree of political consciousness and was ready for transparent democratic elections more than ever before.
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE: A POSITIVE SIGN
The predictions of the results of the September 7, 2007 elections proved inaccurate and were certainly unexpected. For the first time in Morocco's electoral history, the results came as a surprise to all--the 50 foreign election observers, the 3,000 Moroccan observers, the public at large, and even the state. In the past, the elections had been "a sold game" (in the Moroccan context expressed as a match mabyu, or "c'est du cinema"). Yet the fact that the results were surprising was in fact a positive development. This was in fact "the first time that the Ministry of Interior published detailed results of an electoral campaign," reported Telquel.[11]
The era of fabricated elections results at the hands of the all-powerful minister of interior, Driss Basri, had passed. This time, it only took two days for the results to be announced. Contrary to all expectations, the winner was the Independence Party(Hizb al-Istiqlal)--the socially conservative, economically liberal, and historically nationalist party, known by its French initials as the IP.
The majority of observers who had predicted a landslide victory for the PJD in the 2007 elections based their analysis on two factors: First, unlike in 2002 when the PJD had been limited to running in only half of the constituencies, in 2007 the party was allowed representation in all constituencies. Second, on the eve of the elections, the zeitgeist both in the public sphere and in popular discourse was ostensibly in favor of the PJD.
In 2002, the USFP, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (Hizb al-Ittihad al-Ishtiraki li al-Quwwat al-Sha'bia) had won 50 seats, the IP 48, and the PJD 42.[12] In the 2007 elections, however, the IP won 52 seats; followed by the PJD, which secured only 46 seats; and the USFP, which came in third with 36 of the chamber's 325 seats. Also deserving mention were the MP, or Popular Movement (Haraka al-Sha'biyya) with 41seats, and the RNI, or National Rally of Independents (Tajammu al-Watani li al-Ahrar) with 39 seats; these two old parties have traditionally occupied fourth and fifth place, thus creating an interesting electoral fragmentation preventing a landslide victory by any party, no matter how popular it may be.
How can the results of the 2007 elections be explained? Why did the PJD, which had been expected to win 70 seats, fail to achieve an overwhelming victory? Why did the undefeatable USFP lose its popularity? How did the IP make such a comeback?
While it is too early to answer definitively, one speculation is that the PJD's proposed version of Islam frightens Moroccans. For example, due to what the PJD perceives as promiscuity, which is promoted by encounters between the sexes, it is openly hostile towards the popular yearly summer music and cultural festivals. Such festivities are the only opportunity for the majority of the Moroccans to enjoy themselves in a mixed sex forum without arousing suspicion. Moreover, admission is free of charge, an important factor considering that more than half of the population is under the age of 30, and over 50 percent of this particular sector is unemployed and/or does not have a bank account. Among this generation, the majority live with their parents until the age of 35 to 40. Moreover, youth--excluding a very small rich elite--do not go out on weekends. The situation for unmarried girls who have no choice but to live with their parents is even more complicated. If they are allowed to go out at all, they have a 6:00 p.m. curfew for fear of their safety after dark. For these "suffocated" youth, the July-August festivities are the only opportunity to socialize more or less freely. This is the only time of the year when young girls are permitted to stay out late and stand shoulder to shoulder with boys without breaching the public moral code.
By repeatedly conveying its opposition to these gatherings, the PJD both alienated many and revealed its ignorance of the basic principles of the art of governing: It demonstrated that it likely intended to rule through edicts forbidding or limiting social behavior and that it did not recognize the importance of permitting the population "to breathe" even once a year. The state, on the other hand, has apparently internalized this strategy. During the summer of 2007 there were many night festivals that were mainly, if not entirely, sponsored by the state.[13]
The new political map is most instructive in evaluating the situation.[14] It was predicted that if the PJD were to receive strong support in most of Morocco's big cities (Casablanca, Rabat, Salé, Tangier, and Meknès),[15] Marrakech would go with the Islamic party, as would other important urban centers. Unexpectedly, however, the PJD saw its worst results in the cities of Marrakech and al-Hoceima, both cities "notorious" for their summer night festivals. The income of the majority of the population in these cities comes from Western tourism, and the PJD wishes to limit such interactions with Westerners. The Attajdid newspaper, the organ of the PJD, frequently warns against the deterioration of mores in Marrakech stemming from sexual freedom and contact with the Western tourists.[16]
On the other hand, the USFP's version of Islam is equally threatening. Its secular orientation is a matter of concern for the majority of the people. Moreover, most of the leftist intellectuals who are partisans or sympathizers of the USFP express their vanguard ideas in a high academic language--either in French or literary Arabic--which is unintelligible for the average Moroccan. Moreover, their abstract ideas, for the most part, do not reach the masses, and if they do, they are perceived as too secular and sometimes even borderline atheist. Generally speaking, the socialist "theorists" of secularism are persona non grata in Morocco,[17] despite the fact that the practices of everyday life have a number of secular aspects.
THE ROAD TO THE PALACE
It seems that between the USFP's secularism and the PJD's Islamism, the IP has discovered the road leading directly to the palace. The IP's conservatism, nationalism, and most importantly, its affinity for the fundamental values of Islam intertwine with a "secular" way of living.[18] All of these factors give the impression that it is a well-balanced party, and thus it appeals to many. Its pragmatic attitude toward the celestial and the temporal is particularly suited to the world vision of the majority of Moroccans, and it complements their way of practicing Islam.
Since the colonial period, the IP has been deeply rooted in Morocco's religious and political landscape. It is associated in the Moroccan collective memory with liberation and freedom, as it was the IP (with the king's blessing) who led the country toward independence in 1956. It thus holds a special place in the hearts of Moroccans, especially among the older generation. Consequently, the IP won the majority of its votes not only in the rural areas of Doukala and Abda (an Arabic-speaking tribal region), but also in the Berber/Amazigh speaking areas--in Boulman and the region of Sous around Agadir, the Bastille of the Amazigh/Berber activists, traditional IP enemies. Most significant is the triumph in the Saharan cites, including Guelmima, Smara, Laayoune, Sakia al-Hamra, Oued al-Dahab, and Lagouira--the entire southern desert, from the region of Sous to the border with Mauritania.[19] The IP's victory in the Saharan cities is significant; there the tribes' leaders hold the founder of IP, Allal al-Fassi, in high esteem.[20] Abbas al-Fassi, leader of the IP, is Allal al-Fassi's son, and this resonates in the minds of the voters of the Sahara. Thus, the IP won most of its votes in the tribal and rural milieu, where propaganda is still strong and where democracy bends more to local rules than to the values of universal suffrage.
The IP has realized its "victory" in the regions where it has a strong historical clientele network of support and a traditional tribal system of commitments, loyalties, and reliance. It is conventional wisdom that in these regions one does not vote for an ideology but rather according to tribal affiliation. For some Moroccan intellectuals, the IP's comeback at the beginning of the twenty-first century is in fact a reaction, if not a regression, to the "Hassanian era."[21] The party reminds Moroccans of the alternance "reform" enacted by Hassan II in 1997, when in the name of democratization, the king coopted the two oppositionists parties, the USFP and the IP. He converted them into "governmental parties" (ahzab hukumiyya), thereby denying Moroccan citizens the allusion of a political opposition.[22] In light of this, considering the IP "victory" an achievement for Moroccan democracy is questionable.
BETWEEN VOTER TURNOUT AND BLANK BALLOTS
Perhaps the most significant factor of the 2007 parliamentary elections was the low voter turnout rate--among the lowest ever in Moroccan history.[23] Only 37 percent cast votes, of which 19 percent deposited blank ballots, or according to the Moroccan colloquial expression, "gave their voices [votes] to the wind." This meant that one in every five votes was in fact a blank ballot. The blank ballots combined with those who did not vote at all means that the overwhelming majority of voters did not express their political opinion. As Moroccan political scientist Abdallah Turabi so ironically put it, "if you add those who did not vote to those who cast blank ballots, they would form the biggest political party in the country."[24]
How can this phenomenon be explained? How can it be that in heyday of liberalization and democratization, Morocco is witnessing an overwhelming plague of depoliticization?[25]
Generally, in stable democracies the percentage of voter turnout is relatively low, as the citizens feel more or less satisfied with the political situation and trust that those voting will convey general opinion. In such a case, significant changes on the political map do not usually occur, and even if the government shifts its political orientation from left to right or vice versa, the general direction remains the same. In a healthy democracy, a low voter turnout is not necessarily a sign that the political establishment is in danger. In Morocco, however, this is not the case. Rather, in the young Moroccan democracy, this can only indicate a lack of democracy. Many observers, both within Morocco and abroad, believe that that the results of the last elections have again proven the existing gap between the people and state.[26]
The urban, educated, and unemployed in the 18 to 45 age range is a sector of potential voters with a political consciousness. In contrast to the peasants in the rural areas, a high percentage of this sector did not bother to vote on September 7, 2007. On the other hand, among this group, those who did go to the polling stations either cast empty ballots or most likely voted for the PJD or the USFP.
It this group of individuals--an integral part of the young Moroccan democracy--who boycotted the elections. Their casting of blank ballots and refusal to vote was an act of passive protest intended to penalize the regime and to express their general dissatisfaction. This is an urban middle-class that is not committed to rural notables, family alliances, or tribal loyalties. Had this middle class voted properly, or at all, one can only wonder if the outcome would have been different?
Those who voted for the PJD were most likely urban and middle class voters, a point that explains the PJD's showing in the election. Note that in Casablanca--the city where the majority of the middle-class of the country is concentrated--the PJD won about 70,000 votes, 20 percent of the total; the IP, the winner of the elections, was far behind with only 47,000 votes, 13 percent of overall votes.[27]
CONCLUSION
The election results have thus given the PJD "control" of the capital city of Rabat, the nearby city of Salé, and Casablanca, the country's economic center. In addition, it has come to dominate other important cites, including Tangiers--the gateway to Europe--and the region of Meknès-Tafilalet--where agriculture and tourism are concentrated.[28] The PJD cities--contrary to the villages and the frontier cities under IP control--are the country's economic and intellectual capitals. They constitute the stronghold of the PJD, which enjoys the support of both educated Moroccans and the residents of the bidonvilles (shantytowns).
The cities where the PJD prevailed are full of social conflicts. Both poverty and illiteracy exist there as well as a politically conscious urban educated youth. It is these youth, the possible future leaders of Morocco, who understand and respect the rules of the democratic game and who voted for the PJD. The Islamists' success among this sector is thus all the more significant. Moreover, while the PJD lost nationally, the party plays a significant role as an opposition force and thus does not run the risk of being coopted by the palace.
REFERENCES
[1] The notion of the lower chamber is relatively new, dating back to the series of reforms enacted by Hassan II from 1992 until the eve of his death in 1999. His efforts led to the constitutional amendments turning parliament into a bicameral body. In the old system, only two-thirds of seats were directly elected. Now the new lower chamber is chosen completely by the voters. For a survey and analysis of these reforms, see Mohamed Tozy, "De l'action clandestine au parlement: qui sont les islamistes au Maroc?," Le Monde Diplomatique (August 1999), http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/1999/08/TOZY/12315.html. For a more detailed study of the royal reforms, see Abdeslam Maghrawoui's, "Monarchy and Political Reform in Morocco," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 12, No. 1 (2001), pp. 73-86, http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy/v012/12.1maghraoui.html.
[2] Latifa al-Arousni, "Ramadan in Morocco," al-Sharq al-Awsat,September 24, 2007, http://aawsat.com/english/print.asp?artid=id10306.
[3] "Maroc: la hausse du prix du pain annulée à la suite de manifestations populaires," Associated Press, September 25, 2007, http://www.emarrakech.info/Maroc-la-hausse-du-prix-du-pain-annulee-a-la-suite-de-manifestations-populaires_a12540.html.
[4] Adam Wade, "Grève du transport: Jettou soutient Ghellab, mais_," Aujourd'hui Le Maroc,April 4, 2007, http://www.aujourdhui.ma/thematiques-economiques-details53594.html.
[5] To view a video about the efforts of Moroccans living in France to participate in the Moroccan legislative elections from France, visit: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xc5i_france24frreportageelectionaumaroc_politics.
[6] Christophe Ayad, "Les islamistes modérés sont donnés vainqueurs du scrutin de demain. Un exercice de démocratie borné par l'autorité de Mohammed VI," Libération (France), September 6, 2007, http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/monde/276593.FR.php; For more information on the subject, see: http://oeil-sur-la-planete.france2.fr/17196318-fr.php.
[7] According to street reports from Rabat and Casablanca. See Naoufel Daqaqi and Mawassi Lahsen, "Morocco's PJD Confident Despite Detractors," http//www.magharebia.com/.
[8] Mohamed El Hamraoui, "Elections du 7 Septembre du Maroc: bataille serrée pour les sièges," Le Reporter,March 2, 2007, http://www.lereporter.ma/article.php3?id_article=3285.
[9] "Limada Yuqati'una Intikhabat 2007 Daba?" ["Why Are They Boycotting the 2007 Elections Now?], Le Monde Amazigh, No. 86-87 (July-August 2007), p. 4.
[10] For the 2007 Daba association's efforts to increase political awareness among Moroccans, see: http://www.2007daba.com/.
[11] Driss Bennani and Karim Boukhari, "Spécial élections législatives. Les non-dits du scrutin," Telquel, No. 290 (September 22-28, 2007), http://www.telquel-online.com/290/maroc2_290.shtml.
[12] It should, however, be noted that in 2002, the PJD took third place, despite the fact that that the party was allowed to present candidates in only 55 of the 91 constituencies (dawa'ir intikhabiyya).
[13] For information on the music festivals, see a video report on the summer 2007 Casa Music Festival, at: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8tgy_bigg.
[14] See the new political map in Morocco after the 2007 election, at: http://www.telquel-online.com/290/images/schema.pdf.
[15] Contrary to the popular belief, the PJD is a middle-class party, not a party of the masses.
[16] Abed al-Rahman, al-Dawdi, "Taraju al-Siyyaha fi Murrakush" ["Degradation of Tourism in Marrakech"], Attajdid, No. 1754 (October 31, 2007), http://www.attajdid.ma/def.asp?codelangue=6&info=2&date_ar=2007/10/31.
[17] Driss Ksikes, "Religion : les derniers laïcs arabes," Telquel, No. 119 (March 20-26, 2004), http://www.telquel-online.com/119/sujet4.shtml.
[18] The IP is now officially declared a secular party.
[19] See the new political map in Morocco after the 2007 election, at: http://www.telquel-online.com/290/images/schema.pdf.
[20] He was one of the founding fathers of modern Morocco and the legendary nationalist who advocated the idea of "Grand Maroc" ("Greater Morocco"), which includes the Sahara and its inhabitants as an integral part of the territorial unity of the kingdom.
[21] Driss Bennani and Karim Boukhari, "Abbas premier minister. Aïe!," Telquel, No. 290 (September 2007), http://www.telquel-online.com/290/maroc2_290.shtml.
[22] For a good study of the alternance system enacted by King Hassan II, see Michal J. Willis, "Between Alternance and the Makhzan: At-Tawhid wa-al-Ihsan's Entry into Moroccan Politics," Journal of North African Studies, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Autumn 1999), pp. 45-80.
[23] For the official results of the elections, see the Ministry of Interior website, at: http://www.elections2007.gov.ma/.
[24] Cited in Bennani and Boukhari, "Spécial élections législatives."
[25] For an interesting attempt to answer this question, see an article by Moroccan political scientist Abdeslam Maghraoui, "Depoliticization in Morocco," Journal of Democracy, Vol. 13, No. 4 (2002), pp. 24-32, http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy/v013/13.4maghraoui.html.
[26] Francis Dubois, "Les élections au Maroc révèlent le gouffre existant entre le régime et la population," World Socialist Web Site, http://www.wsws.org/francais/News/2007/octobre07/111007_maroc.shtml.
[27] For further statistical details, see: http://www.elections2007.gov.ma/elu/clean/CandNomREG.aspx?s=1.
[28] See the new political map in Morocco after the 2007 election, at: http://www.telquel-online.com/290/images/schema.pdf. Samir Ben-Layashi is a doctoral candidate at the Graduate School of Historical Studies and a researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
from
http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=3917&cid=2&sid=44
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Morocco: Overturn Verdicts for Homosexual Conduct
Convictions Violate Right to Privacy (New York, December 12, 2007) – The criminal verdicts in Morocco against six men sentenced to prison for homosexual conduct should be set aside and the men released, Human Rights Watch said today.
The court of first instance in Ksar el-Kbir, a small city about 120 kilometers south of Tangiers, convicted the men on December 10 of violating article 489 of Morocco’s penal code, which criminalizes “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex.” According to lawyers for the defendants, the prosecution failed to present any evidence that the men actually had engaged in the prohibited conduct in the first place. “These men are behind bars for private acts between consenting adults that no government has any business criminalizing in the first place,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The men’s rights to privacy and freedom of expression have been violated, and the court has convicted them without apparent evidence; they should be set free.” The men have been in jail since they were first arrested by the police between November 23 and 25, 2007, after a video circulated online – including on YouTube – purporting to show a private party, allegedly including the men, taking place in Ksar el-Kbir on November 18. Press reports claimed the party was a “gay marriage.” Following the arrests, hundreds of men and women marched through the streets of Ksar el-Kbir, denouncing the men’s alleged actions and calling for their punishment. Abdelaziz Nouaydi, a Rabat lawyer on the men’s defense team, said that the judge convicted the men even though the prosecution presented no evidence showing that an act violating Article 489 had occurred and offered only the video as evidence. The video showed no indications of sexual activity. The men all pleaded innocent to offenses under the article, which has a statute of limitation of five years. At the trial, the judge refused to release the men provisionally pending their appeals. Criminalizing consensual, adult homosexual conduct violates human rights protection in international law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Morocco has ratified, bars interference with the right to privacy. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has condemned laws against consensual homosexual conduct as violations of the ICCPR. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has held that arrests for consensual homosexual conduct are, by definition, human rights violations. In the preamble to its constitution, Morocco “subscribes to the principles, rights, and obligations” consequent on its membership in organizations including the United Nations “and reaffirms its attachment to human rights as they are universally recognized.” The court sentenced three defendants to six months in prison and two defendants to four months; it sentenced the sixth, who it also convicted of the unauthorized sale of alcohol, to 10 months. The defendants range in age from 20 to 61 years old. In a private letter to Moroccan Justice Minister Abdelwahed Radi before the trial, Human Rights Watch urged the government to drop the charges and release the men. The letter also urged authorities to ensure the men’s physical safety, in light of the large and menacing mass demonstrations that took place against them. “In applying an unjust law in an unjust fashion, the Ksar el-Kbir court has fueled the forces of intolerance in Morocco,” said Whitson. “If Morocco truly aspires to be a regional leader on human rights, it should lead the way in decriminalizing homosexual conduct.” Article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code punishes homosexual conduct with sentences between six months and three years in prison and fines of 120 to 1,200 dirhams (US $15 to $150).
Development threatens Morocco's wild shoreline
By Tom Pfeiffer
SAIDIA, Morocco (Reuters) - Ecologists say a tragedy is unfolding in north Africa where construction firms are moving in on some of the last unspoilt stretches of Mediterranean coastline in the search for profits.
With Spain trying to preserve what remains undeveloped on its built-up shoreline, Morocco has stepped forward as a willing host for large-scale tourism development as it seeks to narrow the north-south wealth divide and lift millions out of poverty.
The cost, say environment campaigners, will be irreparable damage to the Mediterranean's wilder southern shores where urban and industrial expansion, rampant pollution and illegal sand extraction are already taking their toll.
Morocco wants to attract millions of extra tourists to a chain of seaside resorts being built by Spanish, Belgian and Dutch consortia and U.S. groups Kerzner and Colony Capital.
The first is under way in Saidia on Morocco's eastern edge, where Spain's Fadesa is turning a low-lying area of forests and dunes into 7 million square meters of shops, golf courses, hotels with 17,000 beds and 3,100 villas and flats.
On its British Web site, Fadesa promises "landscaped parks and green areas, as well as pleasant public spaces, (will) harmonize with the beautiful natural surroundings."
At the development last month, machines lumbered over a landscape of earthworks, workers' shacks and the tattered remains of what campaigners say was Morocco's only juniper forest.
"We call them the destroyers," said local environment campaigner Najib Bachiri. "They dug up 6 km of dunes and killed thousands of tortoises just so you can see the sea from the corniche."
In a statement, Fadesa said it had "put in place measures for the protection, recuperation and regeneration of the environment beyond what was demanded by Moroccan law."
BEACHES RETREATING
Seven out of 47 of Morocco's Mediterranean beaches have disappeared in recent years, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said in a report last year. In Algeria, of between 250 and 300 km (160 and 190 miles) of sandy beaches, 85 percent were retreating and losing sand.
In valleys throughout the Maghreb, new dams for irrigation are trapping sediment that once washed down to coastal areas to bolster important wildlife habitats.
Wildlife groups said Fadesa was given carte blanche to destroy the dunes that protected Saidia's hinterland from the sea and flatten all but a small patch of forest.
"They could at least have left some of the trees for the golf courses, but even they were uprooted," said Mohamed Benata, head of regional development association ESCO.
Fadesa has said the Saidia project will create 8,000 direct jobs and more than 40,000 indirectly in a poor region cut off since 1994 when Algeria closed its land border with Morocco.
Tourism Ministry officials said they wanted each new resort to make use of the local environment to attract higher-spending visitors, adding that they had enforced the most widely used international standards for preserving the natural habitat.
Some observers say Morocco made a mistake in allowing Fadesa to build close to the Moulouya wetland, the country's most important reserve for more than 200 species of birds, and fear the worst, given plans for up to a million visitors every year.
"It's too close to the mouth of the river which has the richest ecosystem," said Alaoui El Kebir of the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) in Rabat.
Saidia's unique habitat drew life from water seeping through the sand and collecting in marshy areas. Fadesa has built channels and barriers to drain water away from the buildings.
"Fadesa say the work will dry about 5 percent of the wetland but our calculations show it'll be more like half," said Benata.
MIGRATING BIRDS
Without the wetland, a vital stepping stone for hundreds of millions of migrating birds would be removed.
The EEA says several north African wetlands are threatened, including Lake Bizerta in Tunisia, the salt lake of Regahaia in Algeria and 23rd of July Lake in Libya.
Bachiri accuses Fadesa of flouting local laws by pumping water from the Moulouya river. Lorries could be seen last month on the river bank loading up with salty water then returning to the work site.
A spokesman for Fadesa said the company had presented an environmental impact study when tendering for the project, which the Moroccan government had accepted, and had implemented steps to protect and improve the environment beyond that required by Moroccan law.
ESCO's Benata said mega-projects such as Saidia were out of fashion in Europe -- Spain had begun copying a strategy pioneered on the French Riviera to reclaim land, demolish buildings and regenerate the ecosystem.
Once the Saidia development is complete, Fadesa is likely to sell the site to management companies. Years down the line, however, nature may regain control.
"We produced a flooding scenario which shows most of the Fadesa complex could be under water by 2050 as global warming raises sea levels," said Maria Snoussi, earth sciences professor at Mohamed V University in Rabat.
(Additional reporting by Sarah Morris in Madrid; editing by Sara Ledwith and Andrew Dobbie)
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Reuters journalists are subject to the Reuters Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Veolia Morocco arm opens capital to institutions
RABAT, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The Moroccan arm of French utility group Veolia Environnement (VIE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) opened its capital to two financial institutions on Tuesday, saying the move would underpin its development in the north African kingdom.
Fipar, a unit of Moroccan state investment vehicle Caisse de Depot et de Gestion, acquired 9 percent of Veolia Environnement Maroc, while AIG Infrastructure Fund took 10 percent, officials said at a signing ceremony in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
"Through this stake acquisition ... Veolia Environnement wishes to have by its side top-tier national and international institutional partners able to accompany its development," Veolia said in a statement distributed at the ceremony.
The deal was worth 494 million dirhams ($63.83 million), based on the nominal value of Veolia Environnement Maroc's 26.49 million shares.
The utility, which owns water and power concessions in the northern Moroccan towns of Tangier, Tetouan, Rabat and Sale, said its annual consolidated turnover was 4.4 billion dirhams and net profit was 85 million dirhams.
AIG Infrastructure Fund is managed by Emerging Capital partners, a private equity group which oversees investments across Africa. (Reporting by Tom Pfeiffer, editing by Richard Chang)
from this website :
http://www.reuters.com/article/mergersNews/idUSN1153027520071211
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Star DiCaprio lauded in Morocco
Scorsese called the 33-year-old "a very good friend and wonderful actor" as he presented him with a Golden Star award.
"I never fail to be amazed by his clear and complete commitment to his work," said the Oscar-winning film-maker.
The actor, who has worked with Scorsese on three films to date, returned the compliment by calling him "a legend".
The pair are set to reunite next year for their fourth movie together, thriller Shutter Island.
Contribution
Moroccan director Mostafa Darkaoui was also awarded a Golden Star in recognition of his contribution to cinema in his homeland.
More than 100 films will be shown at this year's festival, which opened with a screening of period drama Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Its director, India's Shekhar Kapur, sits on a jury headed by the Czech-born filmmaker Milos Forman.
The festival, which honoured Scorsese himself in 2005, runs until 15 December.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/7134276.stm
Published: 2007/12/08 12:57:42 GMT
© BBC MMVII
from BBC
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Moroccan hopes dashed of hosting 2012 World Expo
The suspense is over: Tangier will not be hosting the 2012 World Expo. The final decision, which put an end to Morocco's hopes, was announced at 9pm on Monday (November 26th) in Paris. After months of campaigning to win the bid, Morocco lost out to a strong rival – South Korea. When the 140 member states of the International Exhibitions Bureau held a secret ballot at the organisation’s 42nd General Assembly, Yeosu won 77 votes, beating Tangier’s 63. The third bidder, Poland, had been eliminated in the first round after receiving only 13 votes.
The Moroccan delegation said Morocco had sought the World Expo not only for itself but also for the whole of Africa, the Mediterranean region and the Arab and Muslim world. Member Abdellatif Benazzi said the country mounted an exemplary campaign. "Morocco presented a vision of a future where individuals are at the heart of the development process. We believed in our values," he said.
Moroccan Communications Minister Khalid Nasiri expressed his bitter disappointment, saying that Morocco made a very credible effort and did all it could in the face of strong competition. "I feel my country has suffered an injustice. Morocco put in an outstanding bid; all those who watched the three presentations objectively believed Morocco’s was by far the most original and had the most spirit," he said.
Morocco still has every reason to be proud, Nasiri noted. "Plans to develop the northern region and the rest of the country will continue, with or without the Tangier Expo. These plans will support our nation and our principles. Whatever the outcome may have been, Morocco has come away from this with its head held high. Our cities will continue to develop," he declared.
Although Tangier residents seem equally confident that development of their region will continue, they were disappointed to learn their home city will not host the World Expo. Medical student Hakima Hachimi said the city’s inhabitants really believed in Tangier’s chances and never doubted that victory would be theirs.
"Morocco’s bid was a cultural one. It would have been the first African and Arab country to host a World Expo. The theme 'World highways, cultural crossroads: for a more united world' was closely linked to Morocco’s identity as a nation of sharing, tolerance and cohabitation of cultures and civilisations. It’s a real shame," Hachimi lamented.
Teacher Salim Moha was more optimistic: "Sure, the Expo would have boosted the country’s economy further, but the north will continue to develop – as you can see from projects such as the Tanger-Méditerranée port."
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Distracted France settle for a draw against Morocco
AFP, PARIS
Sunday, Nov 18, 2007, Page 23
 |
| France midfielder Jerome Rothen, right, vies with Morocco's Michael Basser during their friendly soccer match at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, France, on Friday. PHOTO: AFP |
Though hardly a classic performance by France, it can hardly be expected with their ticket to Austria and Switzerland next year on the line in the coming days.
Tarik Sektioui opened the scoring for Morocco in the eighth minute before Sidney Govou and Samir Nasri put the home side ahead. Youssef Moukhtari then pulled the game back to 2-2 with an equalizer six minutes before full time.
QUALIFICATION
French fans know that if Italy were to win in Scotland late yesterday, Raymond Domenech and his men will have qualified automatically. If that does not happen, France need at least a draw in Ukraine on Wednesday to go through.
Concentrating against Morocco must have been hard but the weather will be even colder in Kiev in five days time and Ukraine will be highly-motivated to beat the World Cup runners-up.
GOOD OPPONENTS
 |
| Morocco midfielder Houssine Kharja, left, vies with French defender Patrice Evra during their friendly soccer match at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Friday. PHOTO: AFP |
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Six Months Without Madeleine McCann: Morocco Sighting Legit?
| By Keith Walters Jones Nov 3, 2007 |
Madeleine McCann disappeared on the evening of Thursday, May 3rd. That was a full six months ago. She was snatched from the resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve, Portugal, just days short of her fourth birthday. One hundred and eighty days later, it appears that authorities are no closer to finding the now four year old little girl. Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann have commented on the grim date.
 |
| Six Months Without Madeleine McCann: Morocco Sighting Legit? |
Gerry writes, "Today marks six months since Madeleine was taken from us. It is an incredibly long time for us but must be even longer for Madeleine. It is so painful for us simply being separated, but all the more distressing when we have to speculate about the situation Madeleine finds herself. We have no idea whether she is suffering but we have to hope and pray that she is being treated like a princess, as she deserves."
Continuing: "This afternoon there will be prayer vigils in Liverpool, Praia da Luz and many friends will be praying in Glasgow. Tonight we will be attending an ecumenical service to pray for Madeleine and other children who are suffering. There is again a lot of media presence in Rothley and the upshot is that millions of people know Madeleine is still missing and that we will not give up looking for her."
He concludes with this pea, "We urge anyone who may have information that might help us find Madeleine to call us on the confidential number +34 902 300 213, which is manned by private detectives in Spain or e-mail investigation@findmadeleine.com, or contact the police."
There have been more reports of a sighting in Morocco. The UK Daily Mirror reports that a Moroccan police chief yesterday said officers were scouring the north of the country after the most recent sighting of a Madeleine look-alike. Mum Naoual Malhi saw a little blonde girl with Madeleine's distinctive eye mark being bundled into a taxi in the town of Fnidk by a Moroccan woman and driven away.
According to the UK Daily Express she said, " She said: “I am certain it was Madeleine. She had the same mark of Madeleine that I have seen in the posters and looked exactly like her.” Mrs. Malhi said she was told by police that more than 100 people had called them to report seeing the missing four-year-old in the same mountain area.
She alerted police about a month ago that she had seen Madeleine with an older woman, who tried to hide the girl as she whisked her away in a battered Mercedes taxi. Ms Malhi, who has a four-year-old daughter, was shopping in the coastal town of Fnidek during a holiday when she spotted the girl with a middle-aged woman.
“I went to Morocco on August 19. I saw Madeleine between August 22 and September 7,” she said last night.
From nationalledger
http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272617038.shtml
Moroccan ambassador quits Spain amid tension over royal visit
RABAT (AFP) — Morocco's ambassador to Spain returned home on Saturday as tensions between the two nations rose over the Spanish king's planned visit to two disputed territories in north Africa.
"Mr Omar Azziman returned to Morocco today for consultations," a Moroccan government official said.
Spanish officials expressed surprise Saturday at the level of controversy sparked by the announcement of the visit.
Spanish Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso told radio Cadena Ser on Saturday that the visit was not organised "against anyone".
He called for moderation to avoid "a deterioration in relations between the two countries, which currently have very good relations and share numerous interests".
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Madrid did not intend to take similar measures and recall its ambassador from Rabat, saying that he hoped Morocco's "sovereign" decision "would not affect" bilateral relations.
Morocco had announced Friday that it would recall its ambassador from Madrid to protest King Juan Carlos' visit next week to the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla neighbouring Morocco on the north African coast.
Moroccan groups also planned demonstrations against the king's visit.
"Moroccans do not intend to stand still before the offence being carried out against them, and protests are planned," Moroccan senator Yehya Yehya told AFP.
Rabat has always considered Ceuta and Melilla to be part of its territory, although they have been under Spanish control for more than 400 years.
A visit last year by Spain's socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to Ceuta and Melilla was not well received in Rabat.
It was the first official visit by a Spanish prime minister to the two enclaves since the early 1980s.
Spanish daily El Pais reported Saturday that the Moroccan announcement surprised Madrid, especially because Moratinos was on a semi-private trip in Morocco to attend a cultural festival.
"If Moratinos had any idea that this was going to happen, he would not have spent the long weekend in Morocco," a Spanish diplomat told El Pais.
A ministry spokesman confirmed to AFP that Moratinos was in Morocco and slated to return to Spain on Saturday afternoon.
Spanish newspapers called Rabat's reaction to King Juan Carlos' visit disproportionate.
One editorial in El Mundo pointed out that Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish territories and have been so "since the 15th and 16th centuries".
The Moroccan press had a different take, noting that the visit coincides with the 22nd anniversary of the "Green March". This was when 350,000 Moroccans marched into Western Sahara, located south of Morocco, to force Spain to give over the territory.
"The Spanish royalty is coming to open the famous Pandora's box without any apparent worries of the consequences that their decision brings," wrote Le Matin newspaper.
Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia are expected to visit Ceuta on Monday, where they will visit local officials and have lunch, before moving on to Melilla.
Hosted by Google
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5glO6U2x3zEDf9PPkBzNfF3BoJKyQ
Friday, November 2, 2007
Private detectives target Morocco in search for Madeleine
MADRID (AFP) — The Spanish private detective agency hired by the parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann believes she was abducted and taken to Morocco, its director has revealed.
The managing director of Barcelona-based Metodo 3, Francisco Marco, told daily newspaper La Vanguardia he was confident that his agency would find Madeleine, who went missing in southern Portugal, and said her parents were not involved in her disappearance.
"A blond girl like Madeleine is a symbol of social status in Morocco. That is the way it is and I can't tell you more," he said.
Marco, 35, said he had already traveled to Morocco since being hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to pursue a lead that proved to be false.
"I bought some dolls at the airport for Madeleine. Unfortunately the lead was false. But I have kept those dolls in my house and will bring them in my suitcase on the day that I find Madeleine," he said.
The agency has 40 people working on the case in Spain and Morocco and has told the girl's parents that they expect to find her within six months, he said.
Metodo 3 focuses on cases of business fraud but also locates about 300 missing people each year, he added.
Last week the agency began operating a 24-hour hotline to gather information about the missing girl from callers in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal on May 3, a few days before her fourth birthday, while her parents dined nearby with friends.
Kate and Gerry, who are both doctors, returned to England in the beginning of September after being named as official suspects in the case by Portuguese police. They have not been charged.
"Our technicians interviewed the McCanns for 10 hours, enough time to detect if they were deceiving us. My specialists assured me that they are not hiding anything, this is why we decided to help them," said Marco.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jwBOh4Ap1-7VbY5XlZJ9o01vjjog
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Morocco: Call to Release Human Rights Defenders
PRESS RELEASE
2 October 2007
Posted to the web 2 October 2007
Eight members of a human rights group in Morocco are in jail for "undermining the monarchy" through their protest slogans. Amnesty International is asking you to appeal to the Moroccan authorities for their release.
Seven of the men, all members of the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH), were peacefully protesting on 1 May in the cities of Ksar El Kebir and Agadir to mark International Workers' Day. They were accused of "undermining the monarchy" for their anti-monarchy protest chants, such as "no more taboos, no more freedom". The men got two- to four-year jail sentences and fines of 10,000 Dirhams (US$1,300).
Following a sit-in in solidarity with the seven men, 10 further AMDH members were arrested in June in Beni Mellal and charged with the same offence. One of them was sentenced to three years in prison, while the other nine were given a year in jail but remain free pending appeal.
Amnesty International urges you to write to the Moroccan authorities, and demand them to immediately and unconditionally release the eight prisoners of conscience.
Send appeals to:
His Excellency Mohamed Bouzoubâa, Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Place Mamounia
Rabat, Morocco
http://allafrica.com/stories/200710021196.html
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Morocco grants official status to relief agency
That means in addition to private funds, ADRA Morocco can also receive public funding.
With the financial boost, ADRA Morocco officials plan to expand preexisting literacy, health and education projects in the country, as well as strengthen regional economic development and emergency response efforts.
"ADRA's work will change completely now," said Michael Reich, country director for ADRA Morocco. "This will allow us to become a strong partner for development and humanitarian aid in this country with so many underestimated needs."
"Having the registration officially confirmed and documented is an important step forward in making ADRA Morocco a fully professional and well governed partner in the ADRA network," said Joerg Fehr, director for ADRA's Euro-Africa regional office in Switzerland.
Fehr added that full partnership among regional ADRA offices was essential to the success of development and relief projects in Morocco.
ADRA's presence in Morocco began in the mid-1980s. Today, the country is among 125 around the world where the agency provides community development and emergency management.
-Alarabonline-
