Morocco drafts anti-torture law
Morocco, Politics, 7/21/2004

Morocco's justice department has drafted a law incriminating torture and completing the penal code's provisions in the field.

The ministry said in a release the project defines torture as any prejudice causing pain or physical or moral harm, committed with premeditation, encouraged, approved or concealed by a civil servant to intimidate or compel the tortured person or another, to provide information or indications, or to acknowledge a deed they, or another person, have committed or have allegedly committed, and when such pain or torture was committed for a discriminatory reason, whatever its nature.

Under the draft, anyone who committs torture shall face 5 to 10 years in jail and a 10,000 to 30,000 Dh ($1,100 to 3,300) fine, beside denial of one or more rights among those mentioned in article 40 of the penal code.

Under the international convention against torture, which was approved by Morocco, each State shall take effective legislative, administrative and judicial measures to ban torture in all regions under their management, and incriminate torture acts and sue their perpetrators.

Morocco had announced last May its intention to remove its reservations on six international human rights conventions.

The then Human Rights Minster, Mohamed Aujjar, who made the announcement at the House of Representatives (parliament), explained that the reservations were made about the convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, children's rights and elimination of discrimination against women.

Other reservations concerned two treaties on political and civic rights, and economic social and cultural rights.

Previous Stories:
  NGO for release of Moroccans from Tindouf camps set up in London   (7/5/2004)
  Amnesty International calls for prosecuting human rights violators in Tindouf Camps   (5/28/2004)
  Morocco to remove reservations on six international human rights conventions   (5/21/2004)
  Committee against torture hails Morocco's remarkable efforts to spread human right's culture   (11/22/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search