By Youssef Sourgo
Morocco World News
Casablanca, July 31, 2013
Ali Aarrass, a Belgian-Moroccan arrested in Mellilia and sentenced to 12 years for terrorism charges under Moroccan law, has reportedly reached the twentieth day in his hunger strike and sixteenth in his thirst strike, wrote news outlet Lakome on Tuesday.
Initially sentenced to 15 years in jail for terrorism charges in the court of appeal of Sale, near Rabat, in November 2011, his sentence was then reduced to 12 years in October 2012. Since then, Aarrass, his relatives and a group of human rights associations launched a campaign against what they call “injustice and torture.”
On July 10, Aarras started a hunger strike after he allegedly found his cell ransacked, and letters from his family and supporters were stolen.
He was also allegedly deprived of basic prisoner rights such as: showering, making phone calls and having his daily promenade out of his cell. He has also reportedly been disallowed to be in touch with his lawyer and family.
Sources close to news outlet Lakome said, “Arrass’s health condition is severely deteriorating now.” On July 25, Aarrass decided to go on a thirst strike in addition to his hunger strike, thus accentuating the deterioration of his health condition.
Meanwhile, Aarrass’s family and groups of supporters are mobilizing to denounce the varying injustices Aarrass has been undergoing.
This affair has also drawn the attention of international human rights organizations, such Amnesty International, which continues to incriminate the alleged torture he was initially subjected to in order to sign fake confessions that led to his condemnation.
Aarrass was found guilty of “affiliation to a terrorist organization and plotting to train Moroccan militants in Algeria,”
Edited By Zahra El Alami
