Group of Human Rights Abuse Victims Receive Compensation
Morocco, Culture, 6/27/2001

A group of victims of human rights abuse received on Monday compensations, following a decision by an arbitration and compensation commission to settle a total of 609 cases.

The Human Rights Advisory Council announced last week that its "independent arbitration and compensation commission" has definitively resolved 609 of such cases and that the number of recipients reached 712 persons, including direct victims of arbitrary detention in Tazmamart, Kelaat Megouna, Laayoune and Agdez or their inheritors.

Regarding criteria adopted to estimate the compensation value, a member of the commission said a living person is given compensation on the basis of his/her health, the duration of custody, physical and moral harm incurred, handicap rate and missed opportunities.

For persons who died in captivity or after release, criteria are based on the remaining age of activity, missed opportunities and psychological harms incurred by the victim or kin. In case a person died after being released, inheritors obtain compensation on the basis of the inheritance laws and taking into account the remaining age of activity of the person who went missing or was arbitrarily detained.

The CCDH said the commission started its work soon after it was set up by King Mohammed VI in August 1999 and looked into the 5,127 cases submitted to it up to December 1999. It also heard testimonies of over 2,200 persons who complained about direct or indirect harms incurred by arbitrary detention or forced disappearance.

Last July, the commission announced it paid compensations, amounting to $ 14 million (140 million Dirhams) to 68 victims.

The commission comprises three judges, four CCDH members, a delegate of the interior ministry and a delegate of the justice ministry. It is chaired by a justice.

King Mohammed VI had in his first throne speech (July 30, 1999) renewed Morocco's attachment to human rights and to the rule of law and one of his first decisions was to incept this independent compensation commission.

Previous Stories:
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  Total of 609 human rights abuse cases settled   (6/22/2001)
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