Rabat- Morocco’s foreign affairs minister summoned the Dutch Ambassador to Morocco Friday over the Netherlands’ continued criticism of the Hirak sentences.
Rabat- Morocco’s foreign affairs minister summoned the Dutch Ambassador to Morocco Friday over the Netherlands’ continued criticism of the Hirak sentences.
Reacting to Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok’s report on the Hirak presented Thursday to the Dutch Parliament, Nasser Bourita told the Dutch ambassador, Desiree Bonis, that Morocco utterly rejects the report.
According to Bourita, the report contains inaccurate facts and is a direct interference in Morocco’s domestic affairs, stemming from a lack of respect for the country’s judicial system, reported Moroccan news outlet Hespress.
Bourita informed Bonis that Morocco has decided to suspend a meeting scheduled for the end of September between the two foreign ministers.
Bourita also reminded Bonis of Morocco’s rejection of Blok’s previous remarks and of any interference from foreign parliaments. He stressed that the situation in Morocco’s Rif is not a diplomatic issue but an internal one. Morocco also opposed Dutch comments on the Hirak movement in April.
Blok remarked in a press briefing after his April meeting with Bourita that the Moroccan government “had not been effective in responding to the grievances of the people who took to the streets.”
Moroccan authorities arrested activists involved in the Hirak Rif protest movement in 2016 and 2017. In June, 54 activists and journalists were sentenced to 1-20 years in prison.
After the court issued the Hirak sentences, Blok warned Moroccan-Dutch activists to be careful when visiting Morocco, emphasizing that once in Morocco, police consider bi-nationals as Moroccans only.
In his recent report, Blok wrote that his country’s embassy attended the hearing of the Hirak activists who were sentenced at the Casablanca Court of Appeal.
Blok commented on King Mohammed VI’s royal pardon granted to some Hirak prisoners, but mentioned that one Hirak leader, Nasser Zefzafi, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, was excluded from the pardon.
According to Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani, the King pardoned 184 Hirak prisoners on the eve of Eid al-Adha (festival of sacrifice), August 21.
The Netherlands’ “interference” may influence the “very good” relationship that Morocco and the European country enjoy. The two countries are currently collaborating on a wide range of strategic issues, including education, health, agriculture, and fishing.
During his visit to Rabat in April, Blok expressed the Netherlands’ interest in reinforcing ties in the fields of justice, fighting terrorism, and crime-related issues.
The Hirak movement
The Hirak movement began in October 2016 after the death of Mohcine Fikri, a local fishmonger who was crushed to death in a garbage truck while trying to save his goods that had been confiscated by authorities in Al Hoceima.
The incident angered citizens, causing protests across the country, but especially in Al Hoceima province, which condemned Fikri’s death and social disparities in Morocco. Police arrested an estimated 400 activists and protesters involved in “unauthorized” protests.
Following the ruling of the Casablanca court, hundreds of Moroccans rallied in protests in cities across the country, including Casablanca Rabat, and the northern city of Nador, to denounce the “heavy” sentences.
International NGOs and politicians, such as El Othmani, expressed solidarity with the detainees. El Othmani regretted that his government could not intervene in the Hirak Rif case, because the judiciary is an independent authority.
Minister of Human Rights Mustapha Ramid emphasized the government’s willingness to extend favor to the remaining detained Hirak activists. He said Zefzafi and others might be released if they “act wisely and clear-sightedly.”
Hirak detainees on hunger strikes
Eight days after being sentenced to 20 years, prominent Hirak Rif activists, including Zefzafi, refused to appeal against their sentences and went on a temporary hunger strike.
Hirak activist Rabie El Ablaq reportedly went on a hunger strike for more than 40 days, but suspended the strike in July.
Meanwhile, Zefzafi began another hunger strike that lasted six days to protest “torture” and “harassment” he said he experiences in Casablanca’s local prison, Oukacha.
Zefzafi’s father, Ahmed Zefzafi’, announced his son’s hunger strike in a video posted on Thursday, August 30, stating that Zefzafi “only asks for the rights that other prisoners enjoy: that he be taken out of isolation in a solitary cell and put him in a dignified cell where he can see and talk” with the other jailed activists.
Currently, all of the detained activists, including Zefzafi have appealed their sentences, except Rabie El Ablaq. The 53 activists are awaiting another trial.
