Rabat – Morocco’s National Human Rights Council (CNDH) has released a report on the health and detention conditions of prisoners linked to the 2010 Gdeim Izik events, saying all prisoners who went on hunger strike had ended their protest by October 15.
The report details visits to prisoners held in several Moroccan prisons after they demanded transfers closer to their families and raised concerns about restrictions on telephone calls.
The prisoners were convicted over their involvement in the 2010 Gdeim Izik events near Laayoune, where the dismantling of a protest camp led to clashes that left several members of the security forces and civilians dead or injured.
The council sent multidisciplinary teams to Kenitra Central Prison, Tiflet 2 Prison, Oudaia Prison in Marrakech, and Ben Guerir Prison. The first visits took place on September 29, followed by visits on October 14 and 15.
The teams held confidential interviews with the prisoners, conducted individual medical examinations, and reviewed their medical records. CNDH also said it attempted to mediate with the authorities to address some of the prisoners’ demands.
Prisoners demand transfers closer to families
According to the report, the main demand was to transfer prisoners to facilities closer to their families, particularly those living in Laayoune.
The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) said some transfer requests could not be accepted because the requested facilities were unsuitable for the prisoners’ remaining sentences or were intended for other categories of inmates.
The prisoners also reported that their access to telephone calls had been suspended. The prison administration attributed the measure to alleged violations of internal regulations, saying the service had been used for purposes other than communication with family members.
Three prisoners held at Kenitra Central Prison — Ahmed Sebai, Mohamed Bachir Boutenguiza, and Hassan Zaoui — began their hunger strike on September 23 and formally notified the prison administration. They were subsequently placed in the prison’s medical unit.
Zaoui told the council that he had refused family visits, including visits from his wife, to spare his relatives the long journey between Laayoune and Kenitra.
At Tiflet 2 Prison, Mohamed Lamine Haddi told the human rights council that he was not on hunger strike, a statement confirmed by the prison director. He renewed his request for a transfer closer to his family in Laayoune and said he received three family phone calls per week.
Another prisoner, Abdallah Abbahah, initially refused to meet the council’s team. During the follow-up visit, the prison administration said he had been transferred to Khemisset Hospital and later to Moulay Youssef Hospital in Rabat, where the council’s team visited him.
The report also covered El Bachir Khadda, who was transferred to Laayoune 2 Prison on September 25 after meeting the applicable placement criteria, as he had less than four years remaining on his sentence. He had previously told the council that he was not on hunger strike.
Naama Asfari and Hassan Dah, held at Oudaia Prison in Marrakech and Ben Guerir Prison, respectively, also began hunger strikes on September 23, demanding transfers closer to their families. Asfari additionally requested permission to make telephone calls to his wife, who lives abroad.
Council reports stable health conditions
The council said Boutankiza was the only prisoner who refused a medical examination.
Sebai and Zaoui were in generally normal health during their examinations, with vital signs within normal ranges and no clinical signs of dehydration. Their laboratory results were also normal, although doctors recorded minor symptoms.
Asfari and Dah were also in stable condition and received medical monitoring.
Asfari announced his decision to suspend his hunger strike in a letter dated September 30. Five other prisoners ended their strikes on October 14, while the last prisoner ended his protest on October 15.
The council said its visits followed guidelines on managing hunger strikes in prisons developed with the prison administration, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Health, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
