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Rabat — The Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Rabat has denied claims circulated by a foreign news agency alleging that Senegalese detainees are on hunger strike, describing the reports as entirely unfounded and misleading.
In an official statement, the Prosecutor rejected assertions by the detainees’ defense that the alleged hunger strike was a response to delays in the case and the absence of an interpreter during interrogations, stressing that the claims contain multiple inaccuracies.
The Public Prosecutor clarified that the Senegalese detainees, who are being prosecuted in connection with acts of hooliganism that occurred during the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, are receiving meals normally and regularly within the detention facility. This categorically disproves the allegation of a hunger strike and affirms the misleading nature of the information disseminated by the defense, the statement stressed.
Addressing claims of unjustified delays, the Prosecutor explained that the case was first scheduled for hearing on January 22, 2026, before being postponed to January 29 at the request of the defendants, who sought additional time to prepare their defense. At the January 29 hearing, the case was again adjourned after the defendants insisted on being represented by legal counsel.
The court subsequently deferred the case to February 5, 2026, a session attended by a lawyer registered with the French Bar, though not accompanied by a correspondent lawyer based in Morocco. The proceedings were later postponed to February 12, 2026, following a unanimous request by the defendants for further time to secure legal representation. The Prosecutor emphasized that these postponements occurred solely at the defendants’ request.
The statement further noted that the lawyer in question communicated directly with the Senegalese detainees in French, informing them of the new hearing date, in line with their own request.
Regarding the alleged absence of an interpreter, the Prosecutor affirmed that all court sessions were conducted in the presence of a sworn interpreter appointed by the court, who ensured full translation of the proceedings into French. French, the statement added, is a language understood and spoken by all the detainees concerned, rendering the defense’s claims on this matter unfounded.
As for allegations that police interrogations were conducted without an interpreter, the Prosecutor recalled that Article 21 of the Criminal Procedure Code does not require the use of an interpreter when the judicial police officer conducting the interrogation is proficient in the language spoken by the person being questioned. In this case, the official records clearly indicate that the statements were read and translated to each detainee in accordance with legal requirements.
The Public Prosecutor concluded by reaffirming the judiciary’s commitment to upholding legal procedures and ensuring the rights of all defendants, while cautioning against the dissemination of inaccurate information that could mislead public opinion.
