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. The prisoners, who were on hunger strike, have ended their protest after the council's intervention. According to the report, the prisoners were demanding 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 several prisons to assess the prisoners' health and detention conditions. The teams held confidential interviews with the prisoners, conducted individual medical examinations, and reviewed their medical records.
The prisoners' main demand was to transfer to facilities closer to their families, particularly those living in Laayoune. However, 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, Ahmed Sebai, Mohamed Bachir Boutenguiza, and Hassan Zaoui, began their hunger strike on September 23 and formally notified the prison administration.
The council's report covered several prisoners, including Mohamed Lamine Haddi, Abdallah Abbahah, El Bachir Khadda, Naama Asfari, and Hassan Dah. Haddi renewed his request for a transfer closer to his family in Laayoune and said he received three family phone calls per week. Abbahah was transferred to Khemisset Hospital and later to Moulay Youssef Hospital in Rabat, where the council's team visited him.
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. The council's team found that the prisoners' health conditions were stable, with vital signs within normal ranges and no clinical signs of dehydration.
The prisoners ended their hunger strike after the council's intervention, with the last prisoner ending his protest on October 15. Key points include:
Key points
- The prisoners' main demand was to transfer to facilities closer to their families.
- The prison administration attributed the suspension of telephone calls to alleged violations of internal regulations.
- The council's visits followed guidelines on managing hunger strikes in prisons.
