Morocco: Car Crash Victim Amina Balfarej still in Coma

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Casablanca- Do you still remember Amina Balafrej? She is one of those whose lives have been put in jeopardy on the Moroccan roads because of others’ fatal recklessness. Sadly, she has been in a deep coma since MWN previously shared her story.

Amina Balafrej is a professor of medicine and the director of the pediatric diabetology section in a hospital for children in Rabat.

Amina is now in a deep coma because of a young man’s irresponsibility and carelessness. The young man, who was driving above 60 klm/h- the legal speed in a city- and in the opposite direction of the road, violently crashed against Amina’s car causing irreparable damage.

After she had been transferred to Rabat’s Avicenne hospital, no one could get in touch with her family, friends or relatives for her ID card and phone were left unexamined in her handbag.

Consequently, her daughter, Sara, launched a petition on AVAAZ.org, in which she demanded that the Moroccan penal code against “road criminals” be made stricter. Since our previous article on Amina, the petition has gathered 14.171 signatures and the number is still increasing.

Amina’s daughter has also created a Facebook page to share the story of her mother and claim her right. The page has reached 6400 supporters, among whom 4200 Facebookers are continuously active on the page, which shows Moroccans’ outrage at the injustice Amina Belfarej was victim of.

According to her daughter, the person to blame for Amina Balafrej’s tragedy is now enjoying his freedom merely because no judge took charge of his case. This puts many question marks on the transparency of the Moroccan judicial system and its leniency towards roads criminals.

Sara’s mother, according to her, provided free medical services to many children from impoverished families. She also created the first department of pediatric diabetology in Morocco, and was about to open an entire center for needy children.

Sara hopes that justice be done to the person responsible for her mother’s current state, as well as all those labeled as callous “road criminals,” to be a model for many other reckless drivers in Morocco.