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The widow of Moroccan politician Mehdi Ben Barka, who disappeared in Paris in 1965, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 26, in Paris, surrounded by her loved ones. Rhita Bennani dedicated her life to uncovering the truth behind her husband's «abduction and disappearance», her family said in a statement.
Bennani, who had been living in France since 1964, fought tirelessly to unveil the fate of her late husband. Mehdi Ben Barka was the head of the left-wing National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP) and a vocal opponent of French colonial rule and King Hassan II.
«Until his abduction and disappearance, she had accompanied her husband through all the trials of his militant life, both against French colonial rule and for the building of an independent, democratic Morocco, sharing the joys and sorrows of family life», her family said in a press release.
Harassed by the Moroccan secret services, Bennani was forced to leave Morocco in 1964. She did not return until 1999, when she and her children decided to end their exile following the death of Hassan II, whom she «held responsible for her husband's disappearance».
«For almost sixty years, she and her children, along with those closest to her, fought the long battle to find out the truth about her husband's fate, to gain closure and give him a proper burial», the family said.
Rhita Bennani will be buried in the Paris region, her family said, indicating that they will later share information on her burial.
The Ben Barka family continues to fight to learn the full truth about Mehdi Ben Barka's disappearance on October 29, 1965, at the hands of French policemen in Paris.
