Morocco’s General Delegation of Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) sent several Hirak detainees to solitary confinement, causing public outrage denouncing the “retaliatory” decision.
The Administration decided Monday to put the Hirak detainees in the local prison of Ras el-Ma, in Fes, in solitary confinement and banned family visits and phone calls for 45 days, after an audio recording attributed to Hirak leader, Nasser Zefzafi, was leaked to social media.
Social media users rushed to support the detainees, especially Zefzafi and his mother who appeared in a video on Facebook, calling on Moroccans to save her son and the detainees from the “torture” they suffer in prison.
Meanwhile, Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) strongly condemned the “retaliatory” decisions of the Prison Administration against Hirak detainees, saying it is a violation of detainees’ rights and encourages practices contrary to the law.
In a statement seen by Asharq Al-Awsat, the Central Bureau of the Association said DGAPR’s decisions aim at silencing every voice exposing torture and demanded that the perpetrators be held accountable.
AMDH called for “an urgent investigation into the statement of the political detainee Nasser Zefzafi”, and the determination of responsibilities for the information included in the leaked audio.
The Bureau indicated that the information detailed by Zefzafi constitutionally and legally constitute serious crimes, asserting that perpetrators should be brought to justice.
It renewed its demand for the immediate release of Hirak and all political prisoners.
Last month, the Moroccan Association filed a complaint with the public prosecutor at the Court of Cessation in Rabat, regarding the allegations of torture Hirak detainees are being subjected to, which were also addressed in Zefzafi’s audio. The complaint called on authorities to address the issue and reveal the truth on crimes of torture and law enforcement.
