Is Morocco heading towards a new legal and political breakthrough after the royal pardon? | News
Exclusive – Morocco
The political and human rights circles in Morocco welcomed King Mohammed VI’s pardon of a number of journalists and human rights activists.
Some saw it as the beginning of an important political and legal breakthrough in the Kingdom, which faces a number of social and economic challenges.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne, Moroccan King Mohammed VI issued an order to pardon a number of prisoners, including journalists Tawfik Bouachrine, Omar Radi, and Soulaimane Raissouni, in addition to dropping the prosecution of historian and human rights activist Maati Monjib and other media professionals.
The three journalists were arrested on several charges in different cases that they said were “fabricated cases” and “baseless charges,” and that they were being retaliated against for their continued criticism of the authorities. However, the prosecution confirmed that their trials had nothing to do with freedom of expression, and that they were being tried for crimes related to common law.
During an event organized by human rights associations in Rabat, yesterday, Saturday, to celebrate the journalists released under the royal pardon, Soulaimane Raissouni, one of the beneficiaries of the royal initiative, called for everyone to join forces to prevent what happened from happening again, stressing that his arrest was “arbitrary.”
In a speech on the occasion, Raissouni stressed his adherence and steadfastness to the same positions he believed in before entering prison, calling for the concerted efforts of everyone to release all political detainees and social movement activists, considering that the joy remains “incomplete in light of their continued detention.”
Al-Raissouni attacked what he called “defamation journalism”, stressing that the state must cut ties with it and stop it once and for all, noting that it is dedicated to destroying the image of journalists and tarnishing their reputation.
Amnesty benefits
Abdel Hafiz Al-Younsi, a professor of political science at Hassan I University in Settat, considered that the royal pardon represents “a legal moment par excellence in which the will of the King of the country and the demands of Moroccan legal experts converged regarding closing a group of files that the judiciary had finally decided on and which the Moroccan legal experts consider to be files marred by some violations in the various stages of managing the file.”
He pointed out that some of the people included in the amnesty were “the subject of demands from international human rights organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, to reconsider their files; especially since most of these files are related to what they consider to be restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”
The same spokesman concluded that this pardon is “an important step towards closing other similar files and thus improving Morocco's human rights image internally and externally,” as he put it.
Al-Younsi noted that the internal gains achieved by Morocco are mainly represented in restoring confidence in institutions and reviving the legal dimension in the management of public affairs in Morocco.
On the external level, the same political analyst indicated that the pardon would improve Morocco's human rights image, especially since it chairs the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Recovering from setbacks
For his part, Nabil Al-Andalusi, President of the Karama Forum for Human Rights, said that the royal pardon for a number of journalists and human rights activists is a royal gesture with a humanitarian and human rights dimension, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Moroccan monarch’s accession to power, stressing the human rights movement’s welcome and appreciation of this royal decision.
Al-Andalusi added in a statement to Al Jazeera Net, “We were optimistic about the decision, as a prelude to a comprehensive human rights breakthrough that addresses the human rights files that are still pending, including the file of the Rif movement, some of whose leaders are still serving varying prison sentences.”
The head of the Karama Forum for Human Rights stressed that Morocco, under King Mohammed VI, has accumulated “important human rights achievements, but some mistakes and setbacks have occurred that must be rectified,” considering that the pardon, which he described as “qualitative,” could be “a renewed human rights approach to turning the page on failures and strengthening achievements in a way that preserves and fortifies gains, especially since our country is chairing the United Nations Human Rights Council this year.”
Most political and civil sensitivities had appreciated the pardon and considered it a first step, paving the way towards settling the remaining pending human rights files, most notably the file of the leaders of the Rif movement, most notably Nasser Zefzafi, whose voices rise from time to time demanding his release and ending the file that constitutes a source of embarrassment for the kingdom in the international human rights arena, according to activists.