Moroccan justice minister notes considerable progress in Moroccan prisons
Morocco, Politics, 2/6/1999

Considerable progress was made in Moroccan prisons, Moroccan Justice Minister Omar Azziman told French daily "Le Figaro," noting that reforming the penitentiary system is one of the government's challenges.

The French daily noted that "humanizing and reforming the prison system is on the agenda in Morocco," Map reported.

"We explain to the guards that imprisonment does not mean the loss of the right to be respected." Although he did not deny the existence of abuses and blunders, Azziman insisted on the considerable progress achieved.

According to "Le Figaro," the ministry is planning to open sites for intimate meetings between married people and to increase fines in order to relieve the pressure on Moroccan prisons which have an accommodation capacity ranging between 30,000 to 35,000 but are actually hosting 50,000 inmates.

Chairman of the Moroccan Human Rights Organization "OMDH," Abdelaziz Bennani, hailed the beginning of a change in mentalities and more transparency but stressed the need to perfect and enforce the existing legal provisions.

The chairman of another human rights organization "AMDH," Abderrahmane Ben Amar, sees that there is no major improvement.

Le Figaro notes that the topic of prisons is now a fashion in Morocco, citing, in this regard, a recent tv program on a model-prison which has a cafeteria for families visiting inmates. The daily wrote that a Moroccan female singer gave a music show in this prison.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco renews wish to see Sahara referendum held   (2/5/1999)
  Moroccan-German talks will focus on Mideast peace and Morocco's role   (2/4/1999)
  Morocco has not requested to return to pan-African body   (2/4/1999)
  French ambassador says Morocco's festival in France is above all a political happening   (2/3/1999)

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