Sunday, April 24, 2011

Thousands of Moroccans call for change and the release of political prisoners

Thousands of Moroccans today turned out peacefully to the streets to demand profound social and political reforms and demanding the release of prisoners, although King Mohammed VI announced a constitutional remodeling last week granted pardons to 190 prisoners. "No secret detention centers" was the wording of one of the banners that read in the manifestation of Casablanca, which could prove Efe as 5,000 people attended, representing a much smaller share than that recorded came in March when 15,000 Moroccans.

This week at a meeting of the Council of Representatives (First Chamber of the Moroccan Parliament), the Islamist Justice and Development party (PJD) asked the Ministry of Interior to open an investigation into an alleged illegal secret detention center in the town of Temara, near Rabat.

For its part, the general secretary of the National Human Rights Sebares Mohamed, told Efe that "talk about this issue very soon" and refused to elaborate on the matter. In today's protests have been added and Mustafa Mohamed Meruani Moatasim, leaders of two small outlawed Islamist political parties, "Al Uma" (nation) and "Al Badil Al Hadari (Alternative Civilisation).

Both leaders are part of hundreds of political prisoners who took to the streets last week after receiving a pardon from the king Alawi. "There are innocent people still in prisons where are human rights?" shouting in the neighborhood of Rabat Yakub al-Mansur the protesters, who were the slogans chanted by the Movement February 20, organizer of all the protests that have taken place today in Morocco.

February 20th Movement, which emerged from the initiative of a few young people through social network Facebook, and starred in mass demonstrations in the Moroccan cities on February 20 and March 20 to demand political, economic and social conditions in the country. "Show yourselves for the dignity, rights, by all rights, by the change.

Show yourselves against marginalization, exclusion, against thieves" cheered those present at the Yakub Al-Mansur district, where the concentration was characterized by a large presence of Islamists. Women and men of all ages up again today in dozens of cities in the country signs against corruption, to the politics of economic monopoly, deteriorating public services, and claimed the right to employment, reducing the cost of life or increase the minimum wage.

"Change can not occur through a constitution granted. Support the Movement February 20 because it asks the fall of corruption and totalitarianism, "he said Sion Asidon, leftist activist who was imprisoned during the time of Hassan II. In Marrakech and Tangier protests involving about 10,000 people, while in Sefrou and Taza reached 1,500 and 3,000 demonstrators, respectively.

On the other hand, in the northern city of Al Hoceima took to the streets around 2,000 people and Fez had a turnout of at least 3,000, according to organizers. "We have taken streets today because it has not yet responded to our demands. We call for a popular and democratic constitution that represents the will of the people and not a reform that is through an advisory committee designated by a single person, "Efe said a member of the Movement February 20.

The Advisory Committee on Constitutional Reform (CCRC), personally appointed by the king and led by Professor Abdellatif Menuni, is in charge of drafting constitutional amendments and will submit their work next June.

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