Zefzafi’s Father Asks Dutch Parliament to Help Free Detained Hirak Activists

Rabat – Ahmad Zefzafi, the father of the detained Hirak Rif leading activist Nasser Zefzafi, has called on the Dutch parliament to help the detained Hirak activists regain their freedom.

Invited to speak at the Dutch Parliament on Thursday, Ahmad talked about the situation of detainees. “I turned to you in order to ask you to stand with us and on our side in order to achieve the freedom of our sons who are being held in detention,” he said.

Ahmad also spoke of the conditions of the detainees, who have said they are being tortured. “It’s not only the prisoners who are being tortured, but also their families who are being tortured psychologically and also physically,” he said. He explained his point by describing how exhausting it is to relocate from Al Hoceima to Casablanca, where the Hirak activists are jailed.

The activist’s father also discussed the conditions of the detainees’ families following Al Hoceima protests, telling how his wife, who suffers from cancer, became depressed after the arrest of her son (Nasser).

“The doctor told Nasser’s mother that stress and depression have led her cancer cells to proliferate,” said Nasser’s father.

“I would like to thank the Dutch parliament for helping us in this situation. Thank you very much for your help,” he said.

After arriving in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Ahmad was invited by Sadet Karabulut, a Dutch member of parliament, in a special procedure, reported Moroccan media.

Nasser’s father is expected to participate in several conferences on human rights in the Rif region.

Nasser as well as other detained activists went in a hunger strike in order to protest their detention. On December 5, the leading activist was rushed to a hospital during his trial at Casablanca’s Court of Appeal.

The detained Hirak activists are facing a variety of charges, including “undermining the internal security of the state,” according to Casablanca’s court.