Public hearings of human rights abuses victims, braced to initiate reconciliation in Morocco
Morocco, Politics, 12/21/2004

The public hearing sessions of victims who suffered from human rights abuses in Morocco in the period running between Morocco's independence (1956) and 1999 are braced to constitute a remarkable stage to start reconciliation of Moroccans with their past, in a first experience of the kind in the Arab-Islamic world.

The sessions, to extend over two months, will be broadcast on the two Moroccan TV channels so as to give the Moroccan public opinion an opportunity to know about past human rights violations that marred the post independence Morocco until 1999.

These sessions, held by the Justice and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up last January to seek out-of-court settlement of past human rights abuses, are also designed to consolidate assets achieved by the democratic and modern Morocco, based on the respect of human rights and the pre-eminence of law and justice.

They are also expected to be moments for the rehabilitation of victims, an opportunity to achieve self-reconciliation in the Moroccan society and to definitively close the file. Alleviating the psychological impact of these breaches and protecting the society of their recurrence are other assets expected from the hearings.

The commission further views this initiative as an encouragement for the state and the society to grow aware of the need to respect, protect and uphold human rights.

The public hearings will be different from similar experiences in Ghana and South Africa which were an investigation and information collecting means. In Morocco, they are conceived as a moment of reconciliation between victims and the society, says Driss Benzekri, the commission chairman.

A set of criteria will be observed to ensure that these hearings are objective and transparent and that they are representative of all forms of violations and all historical stages.

The IER chairman also explains that men and women will make their testimonies in the language they prefer.

For Salah El Ouadie, a member of the commission, informing the public opinion, particularly the young generations, of the sufferings of victims of arbitrary detention or disappearance will promote awareness of the respect of human rights and of citizenship values and will consolidate national solidarity and social cohesion.

An opportunity to make proposals and recommendations for comprehensive reforms in Morocco and an educational endeavor are other aspects of the Commission's objectives, as seen by a member of the Truth and Justice Forum, a Moroccan Ngo.

Answering criticism over the ban to cite names of persons accused of being authors of these violations, the IER explains that being, a non-judiciary body, it could not allow that names be cited because this would imply a right to answer. Political parties, trade unions and professional associations are adhering to the IER approach, given that it is not a trial but a message to preserve memory and convey educational values so that such practices do not occur again.

The Forum member criticized the choice made by the commission not to reveal the names of those designated as authors of these violations.

The same opinion was expressed by another human rights advocate, Abdelhamid Amine who chairs the Moroccan human rights association (AMDH).

The initiative was welcomed by Moroccan Human Rights Organizations as well as by other international organizations such as Amnesty International (AI). For AI, the initiative is designed to give victims and relatives of victims the opportunity to present, for the first time before the Moroccan public, testimonies of "disappearance" and arbitrary detention.

This step represents an important milestone on the road to addressing grave human rights violations of the past, said the London-based human rights-advocacy group that described the hearings as "unprecedented in the Middle East and North Africa." However, Amnesty International voiced concern that participants are not permitted to identify individuals responsible for the violations on which they will testify and have to sign an agreement with the Commission to this effect before their hearing.

The hearings will be open to national and foreign journalists and non-governmental organizations and will be broadcast on national radio and television.

Around 200 victims, families of victims and witnesses of violations are due to participate in the hearings, which are scheduled to take place in 10 different cities, starting in the capital, Rabat, over a period of around 10 weeks.

Participants will have around 20 minutes each to present their testimony and will be allowed to use their own narrative style, speak in the language of their choice and be accompanied by family members or friends for moral support.

Previous Stories:
  FIDH welcomes public hearings into human rights abuses in Morocco   (12/20/2004)
  Senegal urges for release of Moroccan POWs in Southern Algeria   (12/18/2004)
  Hearing on past human rights abuses in Morocco to start next week   (12/17/2004)

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