Some 25 people jailed for vandalism acts in southern provinces, justice minister
Morocco, Politics, 11/9/1999

Some 25 people found guilty of vandalism acts in the southern provinces, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in jail, Moroccan Justice Minister Omar Azzimane said on Monday.

Azzimane, who was speaking at a press conference held by a high-ranking ministerial delegation in the major city of the southern provinces, said the trial took place in accordance with the legal provisions in force.

The minister categorically denied the reported cases of torture, adding that the defendants' rights were fully respected. He added that the convicts enjoy the possibility to lodge appeals with the supreme court.

In a speech delivered over the weekend on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI said the events were exploited to circulate false rumors and harm Morocco's reputation, while the acts were committed in blatant violation of the law and harmed public order, leading to the destruction of public property and the breach of private property.

He underlined that democracy, which is a responsibility, has been misused, and warned that any violation or abuse that can jeopardize public order will be sanctioned in accordance with legal provisions in force.

The justice minister also denied that the Laayoune events had a political character.

For his part, the endowments and Islamic affairs minister, who moderated the press conference, said the events should be placed in their genuine context. Such events which have a strictly social character could have occurred in any part of the kingdom. The government, he said, is currently studying the concerns of the inhabitants of the southern provinces and will submit a report on the matter to the king.

In his Green March anniversary speech, King Mohammed VI said he gave instructions to earmark a budget to settle joblessness problems in the southern provinces, extend transport facilities to students and see to the social integration of the disabled.

The sovereign also stressed the enlarging of local affairs management to the inhabitants of the southern provinces as part of the regionalization policy and of the decentralization strategy which correspond to Morocco's peculiarities.

Previous Stories:
  Green March anniversary celebrated   (11/8/1999)
  King Mohammed renews attachment to UN Sahara plan   (11/8/1999)
  Swedish diplomat visits Laayoune   (10/20/1999)

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