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Rabat – King Mohammed VI has granted a royal pardon to Abdelkader Belliraj, a Belgian-Moroccan convicted of leading a radical Islamist network and sentenced to life in prison.
His wife, Rachida Hatti, confirmed his release, telling AFP on Monday: “My husband has been granted a royal pardon and left prison last night (Sunday).”
Belliraj was among the 31 inmates convicted in extremism and terrorism-related cases who received clemency after officially renouncing their beliefs and expressing their commitment to national values, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice.
The ministry did not disclose the names of those pardoned but stressed that they had “revised their ideological views and rejected extremism and terrorism.”
Arrested in 2008, Belliraj was sentenced to life in prison the following year for leading a radical Islamist network and carrying out six murders in Belgium in the late 80s and early 90s — charges he has consistently denied. His sentence was upheld on appeal in 2010.
In the same trial, 34 co-defendants received sentences ranging from suspended prison terms to 30 years. Some of them, including political figures from moderate Islamist parties, were granted royal pardons in 2011. Human rights advocates criticized the 2009 mass trial, citing “serious violations” of the defendants’ rights.
Since 2012, several co-defendants, including politicians and a journalist, have been released through royal pardons — some for health reasons, while others had completed their sentences. Belliraj remained one of the last convicts still behind bars until his recent release.
The pardon was part of a broader royal amnesty benefiting 1,533 convicts on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr.
