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London-based NGO Amnesty International urged, Tuesday, the Moroccan authorities to release «all those imprisoned solely for peacefully protesting or expressing their views», referring to Hirak prisoners, rappers, bloggers and journalists, amid coronavirus outbreak.
Morocco «should be prompted by the grim prospect of Covid-19 spreading in prisons to release the dozens of detainees held simply for expressing their views of for exercising their right to protest», Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s MENA Regional Director said. «These peaceful individuals should never been imprisoned in the first place», she added. The international NGO referred in particular to those with medical conditions and older prisoners.
«For those who remain in detention or prison the Moroccan government must provide a standard of health that meets each person's individual needs and ensures the maximum possible protection against the spread of COVID-19», Morayef stressed.
In its note, Amnesty International recalled that during the past six months Morocco has allegedly «increased intolerance towards those daring to express their views freely». It said that between November 2019 and January 2020, ten individuals, including one journalist and two rappers, were arrested and tried.
«All of them were accused of offending public officials or institutions, and seven of the group are currently imprisoned in various locations across Morocco», it added.
