Rabat - The Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration (DGAPR) of Morocco has denied that a leaked video of Nasser Zafzafi, the detained leading activist in the Rif protest movement, was shot in prison.
Rabat – The Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration (DGAPR) of Morocco has denied that a leaked video of Nasser Zafzafi, the detained leading activist in the Rif protest movement, was shot in prison.
The administration released a statement on Monday night saying the video was not shot in Ain Sebaa 1 prison, where the activist has been incarcerated since the end of May.
The statement explained that Zafzafi “has never worn the clothes he is seen wearing in the video since he was incarcerated.”
The release went on to add that the room where the clip was filmed does not match any of the rooms in the prison, and concluded by stating that the video was not filmed inside the prison.
The video of Zafzafi was published on Monday by online news outlet Barlamane, showing the activist displaying parts of his body to the camera, possibly to prove that he was not tortured.
The video was described by social media users as “degrading,” while Zafzafi’s lawyer, Abdelaziz Nouidi, called it “a crime that will not change the truth about the fact that he was tortured.”
The leaked video prompted the Crown Prosecutor in Casablanca Hassan Matar to announce on Monday that an investigation into the incident was opened.
“The Public Prosecution has ordered the opening of a detailed investigation to establish the truth and determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting of the video and the reasons behind publishing it,” said the Crown Prosecutor in a release.
