The Equity and Reconciliation Authority (ERA), the official body appointed by Moroccan King Mohammed V a year ago to expose human rights infringements in the country, on Wednesday succeeded in locating the corpses of citizens who lost their lives due to torture. Idris bin Zikri, the ERA Chairman, said: "The state had previously admitted the dead persons, but did not specify their graves." However, Moroccan and international legal bodies had spoken of the existence of mass graves where Leftists opposed to King Mohammed II's regime, were buried. The ERM, during the previous week had held two open hearing sessions for torture victims between 1965-99 which were broadcast by the official media. But although both sessions were applauded by the Press, the ERM work was yet criticised by some Moroccan legal organisations because it did not disclose the names of those who were steeped in human rights violations. In the first session, however, six of the victims testified detention, oppression and kidnapping operations which they had undergone, without mentioning any names of those who were responsible for the acts.
The ERA is expected to hear the testimonies of over 200 persons in coming sessions. King Mohammed the Fifth said he was concerned in closing the human rights violations file by means of an equitable non-legal arbitration. But legal societies in Morocco were sceptical about the efforts being exerted by the king in that respect, saying that his efforts were futile, since a new human rights violation file has been opened in 2003, especially following the Casablanca explosions.
| In which the captured jihadis underwent full contact questioning. |
The Amnesty International said that a secret jail existed in Tamarat, a town located in the suburbs of Rabat. Bin Zikri said "Some reports are exaggerated" and that human rights violations in the past were less in degree than those which had taken place after the Casablanca explosions. Meanwhile, the public hearings will continue in the first week of this month in nine other Moroccan cities, after which the committee will present its report to the king, amid discontent among opposing bodies that the functions of the ERA were useless since oppressors were occupying positions of responsibility in the country.ÂÂ
| Outside of Iraq, is there any other Arab country even beginning to address human rights the way the Moroccans have? |
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