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Marrakech – The administration of Ain Sebaa 1 prison, locally known as Oukacha prison, has categorically rejected allegations of torture and mistreatment against detained human rights activist Saida El Alami.
The facility dismissed claims circulating on social media and websites as unfounded, following a recent inspection by the Regional Human Rights Commission.
Prison officials specifically denied accusations that staff had poured water on the detainee’s clothing and bedding. They also refuted claims that El Alami was conducting a hunger strike.
According to the administration, the activist takes her meals regularly and makes routine purchases at the prison shop.
The denial comes amid renewed scrutiny of El Alami’s treatment in custody. The 51-year-old blogger and member of “Les femmes marocaines contre la détention politique” (Moroccan Women Against Political Detention) has faced repeated legal challenges since 2022 for her social media activism.
A delegation from the Regional Human Rights Commission of Casablanca-Settat visited the facility on December 29. The commission’s president, accompanied by a medical doctor, met directly with El Alami to investigate the allegations.
Following the meeting, the commission president confirmed that El Alami denied being subjected to torture or assault. The activist explained that visible marks on her hand resulted from a blood test conducted on December 25 for medical analysis purposes.
During the visit, El Alami requested unlimited access to the prison shop. The prison director explained this would violate internal regulations requiring a rotation system between different prison sections for shop access.
El Alami’s case has drawn attention from international human rights organizations since her initial arrest in March 2022. She was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for insulting government officials and spreading false information through her Facebook posts criticizing Moroccan authorities.
Her activism included supporting imprisoned journalists and activists while frequently posting about alleged corruption within state institutions. A fellow blogger, Mohamed Bouzlouf, received a two-month sentence in 2022 for expressing solidarity with El Alami on social media.
In May 2023, while serving her sentence, El Alami faced additional charges for comments made during her 2022 trial. She received another two-year sentence for allegedly insulting the king and public officials. The appeal court later reduced this to eight months while maintaining her original three-year term.
King Mohammed VI granted El Alami a royal pardon in July 2024, along with 2,476 other individuals, on Throne Day. However, authorities arrested her again in July 2025 on charges of insulting a legally organized body and disseminating false allegations.
The Casablanca Court of First Instance sentenced El Alami to three years in prison and a MAD 20,000 ($2,000) fine in September. She is currently held at Oukacha prison in Casablanca.
Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders have criticized her prosecutions as attempts to silence her freedom of expression. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) maintains that El Alami committed no criminal offense and faces detention due to her critical views of authorities.
The prison administration’s statement represents the latest development in ongoing debates about treatment conditions for political activists in Moroccan detention facilities.
Read also: DGAPR Refutes Misleading Reports on Alternative Sentences
