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Rabat – The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) declared the arrest of 4,126 more individuals suspected of violating Morocco’s state of emergency yesterday and put 2,211 in custody.
DGSN shared the statistics from the last 24 hours’ arrests on Twitter, bringing the country’s total number of such arrests to 61,129 since the state of emergency began on March 20.
Out of the 61,129 arrests, police brought just over half, 32,725 individuals, before the public prosecutor’s office, the DGSN said.
Casablanca has sustained the most arrests (8,309), followed by Rabat (8,219), Kenitra (6,089), Marrakech (5,744), Oujda (5,365), Agadir (4,165), Sale (3,505), and Meknes (3,270).
The charges police are citing mainly include crowding in public, inciting citizens to gather, and not carrying a legitimate “exceptional movement permit.”
The number of arrests has risen daily this week. as security forces registered 2,993 arrests on April 20, 3,277 on April 21, 3,590 on April 22, and 4,126 on April 23.
The mounting number of arrests reflects the DGSN’s intensification of operations to guarantee the public health and safety, as the number of COVID-19 infections rises.
The DGSN emphasized its services will continue to intensify confinement patrols in all cities and to coordinate their interventions with various public authorities to strictly enforce the state of emergency, “capable of guaranteeing the security of all citizens.”
Morocco criminalized violations of its state of emergency measures in Decree No. 2.20.292, passed on March 23.
Penalties for violating the state of emergency target those who obstruct public authorities and incite citizens to gather in the streets. Penalties include one to three months imprisonment and a fine ranging from MAD 300 to 1,300 ($30 to $132).
Morocco’s Ministry of Health reported 124 new COVID-19 infections at 10 a.m. on April 24, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to 3,692. Officials also reported 22 more recovered patients, resulting in a total of 478 recoveries. The death toll is 155.
Read also: Morocco Sets Ramadan Curfew Restricting Movement From 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
