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Rabat – The lawyers of the defendants in the Gdim Izik case have resigned following the withdrawal of their clients from the court on Tuesday.
In accordance with the article N° 423 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the court has decided to appoint Moroccan lawyers to replace the resigned lawyers.
Withdrawal is “Contempt for Victims”
Representatives of the victims’ family claimed the withdrawal was a premeditated attempt to hinder the process of the trial, saying that it signals a “contempt for the victims and their families.”
“It is no surprise that since the trial began, the accused have not stopped expressing their profound contempt for their victims,” Emmanuel Tawil, a lawyer with the Paris Bar, told the press.
Tawil went on to add that the defendants have attempted to sabotage the trial since its beginning and prevent the justice to perform its duty.
“However, this attempt will probably not succeed. There is no reason to believe that the trial will not continue,” Tawil continued. “The turn of the trial in recent weeks was not favorable to them. That is why they want to divert the truth and create buzz.”
Yves Repiquet, a lawyer and former president of the Bar Association of Paris, said that “the defendants despise law and justice.”
“They despise every rule of law, as they have despised the lives of those unfortunates who fell under their blows while they were disarmed,” Repiquet said. “The rules of law are respected in this trial. Everyone has observed for weeks that the guarantees of a fair trial are total.”
Boycott Trial
The defendants have attempted to disrupt the trial since its beginning. They tried to disturb the testimonies of the witnesses, particularly those who recognized the defendants as involved in the murders of Gdim Izik.
The defendants also deliberately interrupted witnesses testimonies by chanting slogans hinting at boycotting the trial.
They subsequently refused to listen to one the witnesses before announcing their withdrawal from the courtroom without consulting their defense lawyers.
The defendants’ decision to leave the courtroom has prompted their defense lawyers to resign from their role.
However, the court has proceeded to listen to the testimonies of the witnesses.
The Gdim Izim murders occurred in 2010 as Moroccan security officers were attempting to dismantle a camp set as an attempt to protest unemployment and lack of opportunities in the city of Laayoune.
Twenty-five people are being sued as part of the tragic events that took place on Nov. 8, 2010 in the village of Gdim Izik, during which 13 individuals were brutally murdered, including 11 police officers and one firefighter. Seventy people were injured and public property suffered damage.
