Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – The administration of El Arjat 1 prison in Casablanca has denied allegations by the family of Moroccan lawyer and former minister Mohamed Ziane, saying recent claims regarding his treatment in prison are inaccurate.
Prison officials responded to a family statement that accused the prison administration of refusing to accept money intended for Ziane to buy food from the prison store. The family also claimed that the decision had negatively affected his health and that prison authorities had reduced the time allocated for his daily outdoor exercise.
According to the prison administration, Ziane was sanctioned on June 11 after violating prison regulations by using the institution’s fixed telephone for purposes other than those authorized. The case was referred to the disciplinary committee, which imposed a 30-day ban on purchases from the prison store, while still allowing him access to hygiene products, the statement added.
The administration said Ziane refused to sign the disciplinary decision and requested to challenge it. Officials stated that his appeal would be examined within the legal deadlines.
Prison authorities also rejected claims that they had refused to receive money from Ziane’s family. They said that after being informed of the disciplinary measure, his son chose not to deposit funds into his father’s account. The statement added that Ziane still possesses purchase vouchers worth MAD 300 ($30) and has MAD 340 ($34) available in his personal prison account.
Read also: Public Prosecutor Says Mohammed Ziane’s Detention is Legal, Not Arbitrary
The prison administration further stressed that Ziane receives all meals provided by the institution on a daily basis, along with seasonal fruit, in accordance with a diet prescribed by the prison doctor. Officials added that he has never submitted a complaint regarding the quantity or quality of his meals.
Additionally, the statement dismissed allegations that his outdoor exercise time had been reduced, saying he benefits from an adequate recreation period and sometimes requests to end it before the allotted time expires.
Earlier this week, Ziane’s family expressed concern over his health, arguing that the 84-year-old former minister relies heavily on food purchased from the prison store because he has difficulty eating standard prison meals.
Mohamed Ziane, a former human rights minister and ex-president of the Moroccan Liberal Party (PML), is currently serving prison sentences in two separate cases. In April 2026, the Rabat Court of Appeal upheld a five-year prison sentence against him in a case related to the alleged embezzlement and misuse of public funds allocated to his political party.
He had already been serving a separate three-year sentence handed down in 2022 following a complaint filed by the Ministry of Interior on several charges, including insulting public officials and institutions.
