Morocco's report on fight against torture welcomed in Geneva, say experts
Morocco-UN, Politics, 11/15/2003

The Presentation by Morocco of its third periodic report before the Geneva-based United Nations committee against torture, was welcomed by experts who described as "frank and constructive" their dialogue with the Moroccan delegation.

Guibril Camara, expert of the committee and its rapporteur for Morocco, said he was impressed by "the political commitment expressed at the highest level of the state" in favour of human rights.

"When we see the Moroccan king grant such a keen interest to a committee in charge of rehabilitating former detainees, it is impressive," said Camara adding that he has "never seen or heard, around the world, of such high level of political commitment."

Echoing him, the Committee Chairman, Peter Thomas Burns (Canada) said the dialogue with the Moroccan delegation "is certainly one of the best we have ever had" with a governmental delegation.

Presenting Wednesday Morocco's report, Omar Hilale, Ambassador to the UN, reaffirmed Morocco's commitment to ban all forms of torture and carry on the democratic process.

"While acknowledging the difficulty to weigh up sometimes with accuracy the extent of the phenomenon of torture, I can assure you that Moroccan authorities will continue to exert necessary efforts to tackle all forms of torture, inhumane or degrading treatments," said Hilale. He also recalled the measures taken by the Moroccan government related to custody, questioning and detentions conditions under the new law on prisons.

"These measures, he explained, aim at improving conditions of detentions, incriminating acts of torture and attempts to practice such acts, as well as regulating expulsion and extradition" of foreign illegal immigrants.

Touching on terrorism, Hilale recalled last May 16 terrorist's attacks in Casablanca stressing that the fight against terrorism must not "derail us from the democratic path."

"The fight against terrorism, however legitimate, cannot conceal Morocco's attachment to the basic principles of human rights," said the Moroccan ambassador to reassure the committee's experts who said they were worried by the new anti-terrorism law enacted just after the May 16 attacks in Morocco.

In this regard, the delegation explained the general conditions that led to the adoption of such a law just like many other countries around the world to deal with the threat of terrorism.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco to submit report to UN committee on measures against torture   (11/8/2003)
  Moroccan political leader warns against another (Berlin) wall between the two banks of the mediterranean   (11/4/2003)
  Extension of UN sahara mission mandate confirms Security Council's attachment to political solution, official   (10/31/2003)

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