Rabat Court of Appeals to Investigate Death During Contractual Teacher Protests

Rabat – The Public Prosecutor at the Rabat Court of Appeals has ordered an investigation into the death of a protestor. Abdellah Hajili was accompanying his daughter at a Contractual Teachers’ demonstration when the incident took place.

The incident dates back to April 24 when the deceased called “spiritual father” by the teaching community for his unwavering support of their cause, was among the protesting teachers with his daughter, Houda.

During the protest, Hajili allegedly sustained serious wounds when police used water cannons and violence to clear out protestors who were holding an overnight sit-in at the parliament building in the Capital, Rabat.

The statement says that the deceased will undergo a post postmortem examination to pinpoint the causes and circumstances of his death, adding that the authorities will take due legal action in this matter.

On May 27, following the death of Hajili, the National Coordination of Teachers Forced into Contract (CNPCC) released a public statement expressing sorrow and sympathy, while calling for a three-day strike in Rabat in commemoration of the deceased, who they called “a martyr.”

The CNPCC “barbaric police intervention,” urging all human rights groups to join forces to denounce the “arbitrary approach against peaceful protests.”

Read also: Contractual Teachers’ Representatives Boycott Dialogue with Education Ministry

Contractual teachers staged several strikes across a number of Moroccan cities, protesting the conditions of teachers in the public sector and calling for the abolition of fixed-term contract.

The teachers argue that fixed term contracts are “discriminatory” in that it does not guarantee them the same rights permanent teachers enjoy.

Strikes began on February 20, to commemorate the February 20 movement, and since then contractual teachers have been in a tug of war with the Ministry of Education. Both held several meetings to negotiate a mutual settlement. The discussions yielded no positive results.

Both the government and contractual teachers’ representatives have accused each other of reneging on promises made during negotiations and no compromise has been reached.

The contractual teachers returned to work, in response to calls from parents’ associations, to avoid a “blank year” (annee blanche) for students, which would nullify all exams taken this academic year.