Morocco denies Amnesty International allegations on torture in Morocco
Morocco, Politics, 11/19/2003

Morocco has rejected Amnesty International allegations over a sharp rise of human rights breaches in Morocco.

Moroccan communication minister and government spokesman, Nabil Benabdellah, said in an interview aired Monday in the BBC, Morocco is acting in accordance with the legislation in force.

Asked about AI's report to the UN human rights commission in which it notes "a step backwards in what has otherwise been a positive trend on Morocco," the official said the organization has failed to counter check the information it obtained with Moroccan authorities.

He further explained that Morocco has adopted the anti-terrorism law in order to preserve its democracy.

Amnesty International said "The first is a sharp rise in the number of reported cases of torture or ill-treatment. Amnesty International has recorded scores of allegations of torture or ill-treatment in the past two years alone. While cases of torture or ill-treatment continued to be reported throughout the 1990s and first two years of this millennium, Amnesty International had welcomed the fact that significantly fewer were recorded in that period than in previous decades."

It said "The second development of concern is the promulgation on 28 May 2003 of a new law on 'combating terrorism', which amends the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code by adding new provisions and amending others... In particular, the law extends the legal limits for garde a vue (pre-arraignment detention), when - as discussed in subsequent sections - detainees are most at risk of torture or ill-treatment."

Morocco denied the existence of torture in Morocco and pointed out that "it is customary that people prosecuted for terrorism charges claim that their confessions have been obtained by force."

Previous Stories:
  Europe-based NGOs refers to international criminal court cases of victims of Polisario torture   (11/15/2003)
  Morocco's report on fight against torture welcomed in Geneva, say experts   (11/15/2003)
  Morocco committed to ban torture, says ambassador   (11/14/2003)
  Human rights body chair calls for vigilance to avoid abuses in fighting terrorism   (6/6/2003)
  Human rights effected by unclear definitions of terrorism and other concepts   (2/21/2003)

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